Karnataka rejects Sputnik V vaccine bids made by two firms

The state government floated global tender seeking two crore vaccines in four instalments

The Karnataka government has decided to reject bids made by two companies to supply Russia’s Sputnik vaccines on the grounds that they quoted “very high rates”.

The government's decision to reject the two bids came on a day Hyderabad-based pharma company Dr Reddy's said that it holds the "sole distribution rights of the first 250 million doses" of Sputnik and had no "partnership or collaboration" with any other entity to supply the vaccine.

In response to Karnataka's global tender, Bulk MRO Industrial Supply Pvt Ltd from Mumbai offered to supply Sputnik V vaccine, while Bengaluru-based Thulasi Systems said it could provide the single-dose Sputnik Light. The tender was floated on May 14 and closed at 5.30 pm on May 24.

“They have quoted very high rates. They will be rejected,” Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, the Covid-19 Task Force chairperson, told DH on Friday. “I have asked officials to extend the time limit for participation in the tender, given that things are slowly settling down and production of vaccines is happening,” he said.

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The state government floated the global tender seeking two crore vaccines in four instalments of 50 lakh doses each to boost the vaccination drive that has been hit by a severe shortage of doses. The government has approved Rs 843 crore for this purpose.

Dr Reddy’s, in a joint statement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said it had initiated legal action against “unscrupulous elements committing fraud” over the Sputnik V vaccine. The statement was issued in the wake of “several unsubstantiated reports and claims from various quarters in India on alleged tie-ups for the Sputnik V vaccine”.

The company said it had not entered into any “partnership or collaboration with any party to supply the Sputnik V vaccine to residential associations, nor has the company authorised any third party or intermediary to supply the vaccine on its behalf in India.”

Dr Reddy’s said it continued to engage in direct talks with the government and the private sector to explore partnerships. “Dr Reddy’s has fully put in a place cold storage logistics as well as track-and-trace arrangements for the vaccine,” it added.