Turkish Republic Registers the Sputnik V Vaccine

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced today the registration of the Sputnik V vaccine by the Ministry of Health of the Turkish Republic. The registration was carried out as part of an emergency use authorization (EUA) procedure.

Previously, the RDIF and Viscoran İlaç, a Turkish pharmaceutical company, announced a collaboration to produce the Sputnik V vaccine in the country. Viscoran İlaç plans to start production of "Sputnik V" in the coming months at several enterprises.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, said in a press statement, “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia and Turkey have actively cooperated in fighting the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus jointly. RDIF welcomes the decision of the Turkish Ministry of Health to approve the use of the Sputnik V vaccine."

"The use of the vaccine in Turkey will save many lives, prevent the spread of the virus, create long-term immunity in the population and help return to normal life as soon as possible."

Turkey occupies a unique geographic position, located partly in Asia and in Europe.

On April 27, 2021, noting that vaccination is still underway despite Ramadan, Health Minister Koca continued, "With the beginning of Ramadan, the number of those delaying vaccination has increased. However, I would like to point out that very soon, the Sputnik V vaccine will also be rolled out."

On April 29, 2021, CNBC reported the Turkish government is requiring all businesses to close unless granted an exception by the Interior Ministry, forbidding intercity travel without authorization and moving all schooling online. Supermarkets can remain open except for Sundays. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Turkey has so far reported more than 4.7 million cases of the coronavirus and over 39,000 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Sputnik V is an adenoviral-based, two-part vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Sputnik V uses a weakened virus to deliver small parts of a pathogen and stimulate an immune response.

The RDIF was founded in 2011 to invest in the equity capital of companies primarily in Russia.