Serum Institute to begin manufacturing Sputnik V from September

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has inked a pact with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to manufacture the Sputnik V vaccine in India from September.
As part of the technical transfer process, SII has already received cell and vector samples from the Gamaleya Center, which developed the vaccine. With their import approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the cultivation process has begun, RDIF, which is promoting the vaccine globally, said in a statement.

RDIF had earlier reached agreements with a number of pharmaceutical companies in India (Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech and Morepen) to produce Sputnik V. The Russian sovereign wealth fund has said that it plans for more than 300 million doses of the vaccine to be produced per year in India.


“I am delighted to partner with RDIF to manufacture the Sputnik vaccine. We hope to make millions of doses in the coming months with trial batches starting in the month of September. With high efficacy and a good safety profile, it is critical that the Sputnik vaccine is accessible in full measure for people across India and the world. Given the uncertainty of the virus, it is important for international institutes, and governments to collaborate and further bolster our fight against the pandemic,” SII’s CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement.