MUMBAI: The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund has tied up with India's Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to conduct the clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine in India. As per the agreement RDIF will supply 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to Dr. Reddy’s said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF to ET. The Sputnik V vaccine based on the adenoviral vector platform, Dmitriev said if the trials succeed the vaccines will be available in India as early as November this year.

RDIF is in talks with four other Indian manufacturers who will be producing these vaccines for India.

"The agreement between RDIF and Dr Reddy’s reflects the growing awareness of countries and organizations to have a diversified anti-COVID vaccine portfolio to protect their populations", said a statement from the fund.

Adding that the platform of human adenoviral vectors, which is the core of the Russian vaccine, has been tested in more than 250 clinical studies over decades, and it has been found safe with no potential negative long-term consequences.”

"The Phase I and II results have shown promise, and we will be conducting Phase-III trials in India to meet the requirements of the Indian regulators. Sputnik V vaccine could provide a credible option in our fight against COVID 19 in India,” said G V Prasad, CEO Dr Reddy's in a statement.

A study published in Lancet in September this year showed that the vaccine was safe and produced cellular as well as antibody response to the vaccine based on the phase 1 and 2 data. The data from phase 3 studies is expected to be published by October-November. Responding to the criticism that Russia was jumping timelines to get its vaccine out without following all the protocols, Dmitriev told ET that the adenovirus platform is much safer than the mRNA vaccines which most western companies are manufacturing. RDIF- Dr Reddy's tie up to manufacture Sputnik V vaccine for India