India to Produce 100 Million Doses of Russia's Lead COVID-19 Vaccine

Hyderabad-based Hetero Labs Limited announced it has agreed to produce 100 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in 2021. This manufacturing agreement is with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

The RDIF stated in a press statement issued on November 27, 2020, 'When the Sputnik V vaccine is used, the coronavirus itself does not enter the body as the vaccine only contains genetic information about part of its outer protein coat, the so-called "spikes" forming its crown. This completely eliminates the possibility of getting infected as a result of vaccination while also causing the body's stable immune response.'

B. Murali Krishna Reddy, Director, Hetero Labs Limited commented: “While we look forward to the clinical trial results in India, we believe that manufacturing the product locally is crucial to enable swift access to patients. This collaboration is another step towards our commitment in the battle against Covid-19 and realizing the objective of ‘Make-in-India’ campaign as envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.”