The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, has tied up with India’s Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to conduct clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine in India.
As per the agreement RDIF will supply 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. The Sputnik V vaccine is based on adenoviral vector platform. If the trials succeed the vaccines will be available in India as early as November 2020. RDIF is in talks with four other Indian manufacturers who will be producing these vaccines for India.
The platform of human adenoviral vectors, which is the core of the Russian vaccine, has been tested in more than 250 clinical studies over decades, and it has been found safe with no potential negative long-term consequences.
Phase-I and -II results have shown promise, and it will be conducting Phase-III trials in India to meet requirements of the Indian regulators.