Morepen Laboratories, an Indian pharmaceutical company, has started producing test batches of the Russian-made anti-coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V at its facility in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, as part of its efforts to expand its production capacity in the country, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
The first batch will be shipped to Gamaleya Center, the vaccine developer, for quality control, said the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which is bankrolling and globally marketing Sputnik.
For the vaccine, RDIF has already established partnerships with several pharmaceutical companies in India, including Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, and Virchow Biotech. According to the announcement, agreements with Indian partners allow for the production of more than 850 million doses of Sputnik V per year.
“We are delighted to partner with RDIF for the prestigious project of Sputnik V production in India,” Morepen Laboratories Chairman and MD Sushil Suri said.
Sputnik V is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors and uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, the statement said.
Earlier this week, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted a license to Panacea Biotec for manufacturing Sputnik V.
