Bangladesh approves Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine

Bangladesh has approved Russian Sputnik V Covid -19 vaccine for emergency use in the country.

The decision was disclosed at a meeting of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) on Tuesday.

The approval was given by the Committee on Emergency Public Health Medicines, Experimental Medicines, Vaccines and Medical Equipment formed by the Ministry of Health.

Now there are no legal restrictions on the import and use of this Russian vaccine, according to DGDA.

Earlier, Russia proposed to manufacture its 'Sputnik' Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh in collaboration with the local pharmaceuticals under a co-production arrangement while Bangladesh is searching other sources apart from India to get the much demanded inoculation.

"We agreed with them (Russia) in co-production (of vaccine) … though it's not finalized yet," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told in a recent interview earlier. 

In the wake of an uncertainty over the supply of vaccines from Indian Serum Institute, the government on 20 April formed a committee to send recommendations to the Prime Minister's Office by Monday on using alternatives to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for continuing the mass Covid vaccination programme.

The committee recommended that vaccines from Chinese company Sinopharm and Sputnik V of Russia be used as alternatives to the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India.