Serum Institute of India (SII) has got preliminary permission from the country's drugs regulator to make the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, reports said.

The company, which is India's premier vaccine manufacturer, will test, analyse and then manufacture the vaccine at its Pune plant, NDTV quoting sources said.

The test license granted to the Serum Institute will make it possible for the pharma company to develop and manufacture the product for testing, but not sell it.

"We have got preliminary approval for Sputnik V. But actual manufacturing will take several months. In the meantime, our focus remains Covishield and Covovax," SII spokesperson told NDTV.

The first dose of Sputnik V was administered in Hyderabad on May 14.

Sputnik V has been developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia.

It was approved by the Indian government for use in the country alongside two indigenous vaccines-Covaxin and Covishield.(SAM)