Panacea Biotec partners with RDIF to manufacture 100 million doses of Sputnik V in India annually :
India has been emerging as the manufacturing hub of the Russian COVID – 19 vaccines, Sputnik V. Stelis Pharma (Strides arm), Hetero, Gland Pharma, and Virchow group are the key manufacturers of the vaccine. These pharma companies have signed manufacturing agreements with the RDIF[1] for this purpose.
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The recent pharma company to join this list of players is Panacea Biotec. This firm has partnered with RDIF to manufacture over 100 million doses of the vaccine in India annually. The vaccines produced will be available for use globally.
With this latest development, the total manufacturing capacity of Sputnik V in India has raised to around 852 million doses. This is the combined manufacturing capacity of all the companies per annum. The participation of other key companies in this area is also being speculated by some sources. As a result of this, many sources claim that this total capacity will most likely rise in the coming days.
Sputnik V: Background
Sources have also revealed that the Serum Institute of India is likely to sign a contract manufacturing agreement with RDIF.
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories ( DRL ) is responsible for the distribution of this vaccine in India. Over 250 million doses have been allotted to India by the RDIF and DRL. The remaining shots produced in India will be exported to other countries.
The efficacy of Sputnik V is shown to be around 91.6 %. It has been registered in 59 countries globally. The total population in all these countries is estimated to be approximately over 1.5 billion people.
Panacea Biotec has stated that it will manufacture in facilities that comply with the GMP[2] standards. It further added that these facilities will only be used if they are prequalified by the WHO[3].
The DCGI[4] is yet to approve the use of Sputnik V in India. For this reason, DRL is expected to present more data to the subject expert panel of the DCGI soon. The data comprises detailed information on the safety, immune response, and logistics plan of Sputnik V.
Abbreviation :
- 1. Russian Direct Investment Fund
- 2. Good Manufacturing Practices
- 3. World Health Organization
- 4. Drugs Controller General of India