The Centre on Monday granted approval to Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik-V for restricted use in India, as per sources within the drug regulator’s office.

Developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Sputnik V is the third COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) after Covishield and Covaxin.

The Russian jab has an efficacy rate of 91.6% and is carrying out its phase-3 clinical trials in Belarus, UAE, India, and Venezuela, according to Sputnik-V’s website.