India To Make 300 Million Doses Of Sputnik-V Russian Covid-19 Vaccine In 2021

Four large vaccine manufacturers in India will produce around 300 million doses of Russian Covid-19 vaccine ¡®Sputnik V¡¯ for use in the country next year.

The production in India will be a part of a worldwide push of the vaccine, in as many as ten countries by next year.

Reuters

The development has been confirmed by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund. In an interview with TV channel Rossiya 24, Dmitriev said, "In India, we have agreements with four large manufacturers. ...India will produce about 300 million doses or more of the vaccine for us next year."

For those unaware, Sputnik V is the world's first coronavirus vaccine, registered by Russia on August 11. Developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the vaccine was first registered to volunteers on September 9.

Russian Covid-19 Vaccine 'Sputnik V' (Image: Reuters)

In his interview, Dmitriev mentioned that RDIF has chosen 10 production sites that meet its safety requirements. The sites were chosen from among 110 that negotiated the Sputnik V vaccine¡¯s production.

"The Russian Sputnik V will be actively produced in the world and we see that this is built on a safe platform based on the human adenovirus," Dmitriev said. RDIF is also investing in mass production of the vaccine through its portfolio companies.

Dmitriev earlier confirmed that the production of Sputnik V has already begun in other countries, including India, Korea, Brazil, and China. RDIF currently supports the development of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine through the Gamaleya Center.

(With inputs from IANS)