Stelis Biopharma, the biopharmaceutical unit of Bengaluru-based Strides Pharma Science, will manufacture and distribute at least 200 million doses of Sputnik V, the Russian Covid-19 vaccine that is currently pending emergency approval in India.
The most recent deal is estimated to expand India’s ability to manufacture this vaccine to about 550 million doses each year.
Stelis, which has collaborated with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), is the latest in a growing list of Indian pharmaceutical firms stepping up to expand vaccine manufacturing capability.
According to RDIF, the organization plans to begin supplying Sputnik V from July to Three months to September of the 2021 calendar year. According to the Russian fund, “Stelis will also continue to collaborate with the RDIF to provide additional supply volumes outside the original agreement.”
“The agreement between RDIF and Stelis Biopharma was reached under the aegis of Enso Healthcare LLP (part of Enso Group), RDIF’s coordination partner for sourcing Sputnik V vaccines in India,” it added.
Stelis is the fourth Indian corporation to collaborate with RDIF on Sputnik V and the third producer of the Russian vaccine in India.
Aside from these firms, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has an arrangement with RDIF to perform a bridging review of Sputnik V in India and apply for regulatory approval. Once approved, it will be able to administer approximately 200 million doses of the RDIF-supplied vaccine.
Dr. Reddy had contacted the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in February, demanding emergency approval for Sputnik V based on preliminary immunogenicity results. It also presented Russian evidence on the vaccine’s effectiveness, which was calculated to be 91.6 percent in a report reported in the science journal The Lancet.
Besides that, a CDSCO advisory committee requested that the firm provide the vaccine’s full protection and immunogenicity results.
