New Delhi, July 13: The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and Serum Institute of India (SII), announced cooperation to produce in India the Russian Sputnik vaccine against coronavirus.

The first batch of Sputnik vaccines is expected to be produced at SII's facilities in September. The parties intend to produce over 300 million doses of the vaccine in India per year.

As part of the technology transfer process, SII has already received cell and vector samples from the Gamaleya Center. With their import approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the cultivation process has begun. Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Production Started in India by Morepen Labs.

India is the leading production hub for the production of the Sputnik vaccine. RDIF had earlier reached agreements with a number of pharmaceutical companies in India (Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech and Morepen) for the production of the Russian vaccine.

"RDIF is delighted to cooperate with Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. This strategic partnership is a major step to substantially increase our production capabilities demonstrating a perfect example of joining forces and expertise to save lives both in India and around the world. With technology transfer underway we expect the first batches of the vaccine to be produced jointly with SII in coming months," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

"I am delighted to partner with RDIF to manufacture the Sputnik vaccine. We hope to make millions of doses in the coming months with trial batches starting in the month of September. With high efficacy and a good safety profile, it is critical that the Sputnik vaccine is accessible in full measure for people across India and the world. Given the uncertainty of the virus, it is important for international institutes, and governments to collaborate and further bolster up our fight against the pandemic," said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India.

Russian Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 67 countries globally with a total population of over 3.5 billion people.

The data obtained by regulators of a number of countries during the vaccination of the population, including Argentina, Serbia, Bahrain, Hungary, Mexico, San Marino, UAE and others, demonstrates that Sputnik V is one of the safest and most effective vaccines against coronavirus.

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