Bengaluru firm to produce 200 million doses of Russian COVID vaccine

Stelis Biopharma has become the third company in India to manufacture Russia-made COVID-19 vaccine — Sputnik V.

Stelis Biopharma is the biopharmaceutical wing of Bengaluru-based Strides Pharma Science. The company will manufacture and supply at least 200 million doses of Sputnik V, which is yet to get emergency approval in India.

With this deal, India will be able to manufacture 550 million doses of COVID vaccines a year.

Stelis, in partnership with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), will start supplying Sputnik V vaccines from July this year.

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Besides Stelis, Hyderabad-based Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories have partnered with RDIF so far.

Gland Pharma will make about 252 million doses of Sputnik V; Hetero Biopharma will produce up to 100 million doses and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories will manufacture around 200 million doses of the vaccine.

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Scientific journal, The Lancet, has found Sputnik-V to be 91.6 percent effective. Using the data, Dr Reddy’s went to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), seeking emergency use authorisation of Sputnik V. But, CDSCO has asked RDIF to submit complete safety and immunogenicity data of the vaccine.