New Delhi, Jun 6: Sputnik V Leading hospital chain Manipal Hospitals on Sunday said it has collaborated with Dr Reddy's Laboratories to add the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in its existing vaccine portfolio that consists of Covishield and Covaxin.

The roll-out of the Sputnik V vaccine by Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru is part of the limited pilot soft launch initiated by Dr Reddy's in Hyderabad last month, Manipal Hospitals said in a statement.

"Manipal Hospitals has worked closely with Dr Reddy's to create the state-of-the-art infrastructure to maintain Sputnik V vaccine," Manipal Health Enterprises Chief Operating Officer Karthik Rajagopal said.  COVID-19 Vaccine Latest News: EMA Has Not Raised Any Significant Concerns About Sputnik V Till Now, Says RDIF Chief

He added that the hospital chain has successfully conducted vaccination drives with Covishield and Covaxin across the country till date and will continue the efforts along with the new addition of Sputnik V.

Manipal Hospitals expects the vaccine to be available for the public soon in the latter half of the month, Rajagopal said.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru as we scale up our soft pilot launch of the Sputnik V vaccine in India and extend it to more cities ahead of the commercial launch later in June.

"In the upcoming months, we hope to inoculate as many Indians as possible," Dr Reddy's Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) CEO M V Ramana said. HRS hrs

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)