Source::Xinhuanet
XINHUA/RSS
India's biotech firm Panacea Biotec Monday launched the production of Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at its facility in Baddi, 295 km north of New Delhi. The first batch produced at the Baddi facility will be shipped to the Russian medical research center Gamaleya for quality control, the company said in its filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.
In April, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Panacea agreed to produce 100 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine per year. Earlier this month, another Indian company Dr Reddy's Laboratories, which will also be manufacturing the Sputnik V vaccine as per its pact with the RDIF, administered the first dose of the Russian vaccine after importing the first batch.
"Launch of production in India in partnership with Panacea Biotec marks an important step for helping the country fight the pandemic. Production of Sputnik V supports efforts of India's authorities to leave behind the acute phase of coronavirus as soon as possible while the vaccine will also be exported at a later stage to help prevent the spread of the virus in other countries around the world," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund.
"Together with RDIF, we hope to help bring a sense of normalcy back to people across the country and around the world," said Rajesh Jain, managing director of Panacea Biotec. India currently has over 2.7 million active cases of COVID-19 with 303,720 deaths reported so far.
ALSO READ
