Russia to produce its coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in India from 2021 beginning

NEW DELHI, Nov 27, 2020, India Today. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and Hetero, one of India’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies have agreed to produce in India over 100 million doses per year of the Sputnik V vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection, India Today reported.

Hetero and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has been backing the vaccine and marketing it globally, plan to start production of Sputnik V in India at the beginning of 2021, a statement said.

The Gamaleya Center and RDIF on November 24 announced positive results obtained during the second interim data analysis of the largest double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, involving 40,000 volunteers. The vaccine’s interim clinical trial results have shown 95% efficacy on the 42nd day after the first dose.

“We are delighted to announce the agreement between RDIF and Hetero that will pave the way to production of the safe and highly effective Sputnik V vaccine on Indian soil. The vaccine’s interim clinical trial results show 95% efficacy on the 42nd day after the first dose. I am confident that Sputnik V should become an integral part of the national vaccine portfolio of every country willing to protect its population from the coronavirus. Thanks to our cooperation with Hetero, we will be able to significantly increase production capacity and provide people of India with an efficient solution in this challenging period of the pandemic,” Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, said.

Currently, Phase III clinical trials of Sputnik V are underway in Belarus, the UAE, Venezuela and other countries, while Phase II-III trials are being carried out in India.

Meanwhile, one dose of Sputnik V will cost less than $10 (Rs 740) for international markets. Two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is required for every person to be protected from SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the cost of the Russian jab will be less than $20 (Rs 1480) per individual.