Vaccine and pharma chief Panacea Biotech joins a growing list of Indian firms approved to produce the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, against COVID-19.
Russia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund) on Monday announced a fifth such partnership with vaccine manufacturers in India. RDIF, however, did not mention when the firm was likely to begin production of the two-dose adenoviral-based vector vaccine, with reported efficacy of 91.6%.
Registered in 59 countries, Sputnik V in India awaits emergency use authorization from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) advising the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The regulator last week deferred a decision on the grant of the Emergency Use Authority.
For global demand
A statement from RDIF stated that the production of Sputnik V at Panacea Biotech sites would facilitate the global supply of vaccines to its international partners.
“We see a growing interest in the Sputnik V vaccine. Cooperation with Panacea Biotech is an important step in producing vaccines in India and supplying our international partners worldwide.
Panacea Biotec managing director Rajesh Jain said the company would produce Russian vaccines at its internationally recognized facilities and would follow strict GMP standards by WHO.
With this, RDIF has formed a partnership to produce 850 million doses of Sputnik V in India. The first tie-up was in November with Hetero Bipharma, while collaborations with Gland Pharma, Stellis Biopharma and Virchow Biotech were announced last month. For clinical trials and distribution in the country, it has pharma head Dr. Reddys has partnered with laboratories.
Easy storage
Seeking to highlight the benefits of Sputnik V, RDIF stated that storage temperatures of 2–8 ° C meant that the vaccine could be stored in traditional refrigerators without the need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure . At least $ 10 per shot, the vaccine is inexpensive. It also described how Sputnik V developers are working with AstraZeneca on a joint clinical trial to improve the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
In a recent meeting of the SEC on the cold storage management plan for the vaccine, Drs. More information was sought from Reddy because in its liquid form it is to be stored at −18 ° C, while the powder version can be stored at 2–8. Degree c.
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