It is reported that Russia plans to produce Sputnik V, a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine, developed by Russia itself, in Italy as well.
On the 8th (local time), the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for the overseas production and foreign supply of Sputnik V vaccine, and the Swiss pharmaceutical company ADIENNE Pharma & Biotech (ADIENNE Pharma & Biotech) announced the Sputnik V vaccine on the 8th (local time). The Russian-Italian Chamber of Commerce reported that it had signed an agreement on production in Italy.
The Russian-Italian Chamber of Commerce said in a press release that “for the first time in Europe an agreement has been signed between RDIF and ADIENNE Pharma & Biotech on the Italian production of Sputnik V vaccine.”
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry introduced that Italian local production of Sputnik V vaccine will begin in July, and that 10 million doses (one dose) will be produced by the end of this year.
It added that the Chamber of Commerce has been supporting negotiations between Italian and European companies and Russian public authorities for the production of Sputnik V vaccine in Italy.
It appears that the Swiss pharmaceutical company ADIENNE is trying to produce Russian-made vaccines using a pharmaceutical factory in Italy.
If this agreement is implemented, it is expected that the Russian Corona 19 vaccine will be the first cooperation project to be produced in Europe.
Russia has proposed local production of the Sputnik V vaccine to Austria, which has relatively friendly relations among EU member states, according to the TASS news agency earlier.
Russia has applied for approval of the use of the vaccine to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), an agency for evaluating and overseeing drugs in the European Union (EU) in order to enter the European market for Sputnik V vaccine.
Russia has also signed contracts for local production of Sputnik V vaccines with Belarus, China, India, Kazakhstan, Iran and Korea.
The Sputnik V vaccine was approved by Russia for the first time in the world in August last year, but unlike the usual vaccine development procedure, it was approved only with the results of phase 1.2 before the phase 3 clinical trial (Phase 3), causing controversy over efficacy and safety.
Then, early last month, the evaluation of the vaccine is changing positively as the results of the phase 3 that the vaccine’s preventive effect reaches 91.6% were published in the world-class medical journal’Lancet’.
According to RDIF, 46 countries, including Russia, have so far approved the use of the Sputnik V vaccine.
(Yonhap News/Photo = Reuters, Yonhap News)