Russia, who registered the first coronavirus vaccine in the world, is keen on producing their Covid vaccine 'Sputnik V' in India.
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, told India Today, "Moscow is keen to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India." Sputnik V has been developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology along with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
In an interview to India Today TV, Dmitriev said Russia is in touch with Indian regulators and manufacturers to produce the COVID-19 vaccine in India. Dmitriev said that India has the manufacturing capability to mass produce the Covid vaccine and hence Russia is interested in bringing India on board as a production partner.
Dmitriev also said that Russia is also open to holding clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine in India. He said that Russia is working with 20 countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE and India in their attempt to make the vaccine affordable and accessible with global production partners.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week announced that his country has developed the world's first vaccine against COVID-19, which works "quite effectively" and forms "stable immunity" against the disease.
The Sputnik V vaccine consists of two shots that use different versions of adenoviruses -- virus types some of which cause the common cold -- that the manufacturers have engineered to carry the gene for the surface protein, or spike, of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.
(Inputs from Agencies)
