The Drug Controller General of India has granted permission to the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine version of the Sputnik V vaccine 'Sputnik Light' to conduct trials on the Indian population. This is to check whether the vaccine gives a similar immune response in trials same as in the Russian population. Sputnik Light is a single dose COVID19 vaccine of the Russian vaccine Sputnik. Its phase-3 trials have so far been conducted in Russia, the UAE, and Ghana.

According to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, Sputnik Light showed 78.6 to 83.7 percent efficacy against Covid-19, 28 days after administration, significantly higher than most two-shot vaccines. 

Sputnik V confirmed 83.1% efficacy against the Delta variant of Covid — higher than many other vaccines. The vaccine showed a six times reduction of infection risk. Sputnik V is also 94.4% effective against hospitalizations, with 18 times reduction in such risk. Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 69 countries globally with a total population of over 3.7 billion people. Sputnik V is considered to be one of the safest and most effective vaccines against coronavirus.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) last year united with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories to conduct the phase III trials of the Sputnik V vaccine in India. In April, Sputnik V received an emergency use authorization in India. Reddy's administered the first dose of the vaccine in Hyderabad under a limited pilot on May 14.