Bengaluru-based Stelis Biopharma has partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to produce at least 200 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. India has now become one of the biggest producers of Sputnik V, outside of Russia. Other countries producing the vaccine are South Korea, Brazil and China.
The announcement was made by parent company Strides Pharma Science on Friday. This announcement comes days after Gland Pharma said it was producing and distributing 252 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. Hetero is also producing 100 million doses of the Russian vaccine. Along with Gland and Hetero, India's total production of the shot has reached over half a billion doses.
Stelis and the RDIF plan to start supplying the vaccine doses in the third quarter of this year, said Strides Pharma. It is yet to be ascertained which countries the doses would go to.
Sputnik V, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute is touted to have an efficiency of 91.6 per cent. It has been approved in 22 countries. RDIF is signing supply deals with over 13 countries.
Meanwhile, Dr Reddy's Laboratories is also working with RDIF to hold domestic clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine. The company also sought emergency use authorisation approval last month. However, the company has been asked by the drug regulator to provide immunogenicity data.
So far in India, two vaccines have been approved for usage -- Bharat Biotech Covaxin and Serum Institute's Covishield.