New Delhi, September 8: The trials of 'Sputnik V', Russia's coronavirus vaccine candidate, will be conducted in India, claimed the Moscow-based media. The country has been chosen as one of the sites for vaccine tests, an official said, adding that talks are underway to begin the clinical trials this month. Sputnik V Vaccine Update: First Batch of Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Released in Public.

Along with India, four other countries were selected as locations for the final stage trials. A successful completion of the tests is expected to raise the vaccine's credibility, as its efficacy is being doubted by leading Western democracies.

"Clinical trials in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, India and Brazil will begin (in September)," Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev was reported as saying by Sputnik News.

Dmitriev, while speaking to Indian news channel CNBCTV18, claimed that the talks process has advanced between the officials in Moscow and New Delhi. Russia is expecting to deliver the vaccines from November this year, "with some 30 crore doses being produced locally in India", he said.

The Sputnik V vaccine, named after the iconic Soviet era space satellite, was launched by Russia on August 1. It was branded as the "world's first vaccine against coronavirus", with President Vladimir Putin claiming that one of his two daughters is among the first to be administered with the dose. The "silver bullet" has been developed by Russian Defence Ministry along with the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute.

Despite the roll-out in Russia, the vaccine is yet to complete the second and third phase of human trials. This has drawn criticism from the West, particularly the UK, whose Oxford-Astrazeneca candidate is also expected to be launched after "completing all safety checks" by October-end.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2020 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).