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Stelis Biopharma to make 200 mn doses of Sputnik V Covid vaccine
The agreement was reached under the aegis of Enso Healthcare LLP (part of Enso Group), RDIF’s coordination partner for sourcing Sputnik V vaccines in India, according to the company statement
The maker of the Russian vaccine against Coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Sputnik V, said on Friday they have partnered with Indian pharmaceutical firm Stelis Biopharma to manufacture 200 million vaccine doses. With that, it is their fourth partnership in India for locally manufacturing the Russian vaccine that has shown an efficacy of 91.6%. Two hundred million doses are sufficient to vaccinate 100 million people.
“We are delighted to announce our agreement with Stelis Biopharma for a significant capacity of Sputnik V. The Russian vaccine with efficacy of 91.6% is one of the best vaccines against Coronavirus in the world. The significant vaccine volumes, which will be produced jointly with Stelis, will help to widen access to the vaccine on a global scale,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
The partnership brings together Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and Stelis Biopharma Pvt. Ltd., the biopharmaceutical division of Strides, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in India. The agreement was reached under the aegis of Enso Healthcare LLP (part of Enso Group), RDIF’s coordination partner for sourcing Sputnik V vaccines in India, according to the company statement.
Sputnik V, a two-dose vaccine, which is world’s first registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection, is now approved for use in at least 50 countries. It demonstrates a 91.6% efficacy rate as confirmed by a peer-reviewed study published in the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, which found the vaccine to offer consistent and strong protective effect across all participant age groups.
The vaccine supplies are likely to begin from the Q3 of 2021. Stelis will also continue to work with the RDIF to provide additional supply volumes beyond the initial agreement.
“We are delighted to partner with RDIF to make a substantial contribution towards providing global supply of the Sputnik V vaccine which is one of the most efficacious approved vaccines commercially available. We will also work with RDIF to increase the availability of the vaccine beyond our initial commitments,” said Arun Kumar, founder of Strides group.
