Bangladesh will receive four million doses of Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine by May this year, director general of the Directorate General of Drug Administration Major General Mahbubur Rahman said.
“We have approved the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country. We are expecting to receive some four million doses by May,” Mahbubur told reporters on Tuesday.
“Sputnik V is already approved in Russia and its also used in seven countries in the world. We got the data regarding this vaccine through the government,” he said.
He also said that the country needs vaccines and the government was trying to get a vaccine from an alternative source for the country.
The approval for the Russian vaccine came after India recently informed the Bangladesh government that it could not deliver the agreed number of vaccines anytime soon due to raw material shortage.
Bangladesh in November signed a tripartite agreement with India’s Serum Institute and its local vendor Beximco Pharmaceuticals for a supply of 30 million doses Oxford developed vaccines.
The country so far received only seven million doses of vaccines from Serum. Due to a shortage of vaccines, Bangladesh recently suspended administering the first dose of vaccine.
In this context, the Russian Sputnik V Covid -19 vaccine was approved for emergency use in the country by the Committee on Emergency Public Health Medicines, Experimental Medicines, Vaccines and Medical Equipment formed by the Ministry of Health.
