SL submits documents to obtain India's vaccines : NMRA

COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka has submitted documents to obtain COVID-19 vaccines from India, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has said. India began the process of distributing COVID-19 vaccines free of charge among six neighbouring states under its "Vaccine Maitri" programme on Wednesday. Yesterday, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said that Sri Lanka is among the countries that is yet to grant regulatory clearance to import the vaccine. Bangladesh has placed an order for 30 million doses of the vaccine out of which India has agreed to offer 2 million doses without a charge. In a tweet published today, the Maldivian President's advisor Mohamed Nasheed said that 100,000 doses of the vaccine had arrived in the Maldives today. Meanwhile, the health minister of Nepal has said that a batch of 1 million COVID-19 vaccines exported by India is expected to arrive tomorrow. India has shipped 150,000 vaccines to Bhutan as well. State Minister of COVID Disease Control Sudarshini Fernandopulle noted that the importation of the vaccine from India would involve both governments. But the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) told News 1st that they have only sought regulatory approval to import vaccines from Russia. The SPC's General Manager noted that the local agents of other vaccine manufacturers are already established in Sri Lanka.