Virchow Biotech (Sputnik V) RDIF is expected to complete technology transfer in April-June, after which full-scale commercial production of Sputnik V will begin, said the Russian sovereign fund, which is the global commercialization partner for the vaccine.
“We are glad to sign a cooperation agreement with RDIF to produce Sputnik V vaccine. Virchow’s proven capabilities in large-scale drug substance manufacturing should help meet the global demand for this vaccine," Virchow Biotech managing director Tummuru Murali Krishna Reddy said. Virchow Biotech is the fourth Indian company to sign a production agreement with RDIF, the other three being Hetero Biopharma, Gland Pharma, and Stelis Biopharma.
With the addition of Virchow, RDIF has secured production of around 750 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. However, all the four companies do not have strong experience in manufacturing vaccines, and all, except Gland Pharma, are repurposing their biopharma facilities to manufacture the shot. Gland Pharma (Sputnik V) Gland Pharma has partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to make up to 252 million doses of Sputnik V, the Covid-19 vaccine developed in Moscow that is currently awaiting emergency authorisation in India.
The agreement is expected to boost India’s capacity to manufacture this vaccine to around 350 million doses a year. Hyderabad-headquartered Gland Pharma, a subsidiary of China’s Fosun Pharma, is the third drug maker to collaborate with RDIF for the Russian vaccine after Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Hetero Biopharma. As per the terms of the agreement, Gland Pharma will first be given the know-how to make Sputnik V at its manufacturing facilities. “After successful technology transfer, Gland Pharma will then undertake manufacturing of drug substance and drug product filling into vials under aseptic conditions,” the company told stock exchanges on Tuesday.
The agreement will see the company utilising its drug substance and drug product facilities at its sites in Hyderabad. Stelis Biopharma (Bangalore, Sputnik V) Developers of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine have entered into a partnership with Stelis Biopharma, an India-based drugmaker, to produce 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Stelis is now the latest addition to the global production network for Sputnik V. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the company responsible for marketing the Sputnik vaccine abroad, announced the partnership on Friday, making Stelis – the biopharmaceutical division of Strides, an Indian pharma company – the most recent in a series of manufacturers RDIF signed agreements with. “We are delighted to announce our agreement with Stelis Biopharma for a significant capacity of Sputnik V,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, in a press release. “The significant vaccine volumes, which will be produced jointly with Stelis, will help widen access to the vaccine on a global scale.” Today we celebrate a major global milestone as 50 countries have now authorized Sputnik V! Global Production Contracts for Sputnik V. Dr Reddy’s Lab (Sputnik V distribution & trials in India) Gennova Biopharmaceuticals (MRNA vaccine, HGCO19)
“Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent diseases” – WHO.
Vaccines are biological products that boost immunity against a particular disease. Apart from the five types of conventional vaccines (inactivated vaccines e.g. Polio, live-attenuated vaccines e.g. MMR, subunit vaccines e.g. HPV, conjugate vaccines e.g. mRNA Vaccines In standard viral vaccines, either inactivated (or attenuated) virus or viral proteins known to cause infection are used to immunize. Advantages of mRNA vaccines Novel vaccine development can take anywhere between 10 – 15 years. Gennova in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, Seattle, USA has worked together to develop an mRNA vaccine since the first report of the SARS-CoV-2 genome was published.
Zydus Cadila (ZyCoV-D) COVAXIN - India's First Indigenous Covid-19 Vaccine. COVAXIN®, India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech is developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).
The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high containment facility. The vaccine is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology. Inactivated vaccines do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause pathological effects. They contain dead virus, incapable of infecting people but still able to instruct the immune system to mount a defensive reaction against an infection. Why develop Inactivated Vaccine? Key Attributes: COVAXIN® is included along with immune-potentiators, also known as vaccine adjuvants, which are added to the vaccine to increase and boost its immunogenicity. COVAXIN® effective against UK variant strain: Global Acceptance of COVAXIN®:
Serum institute of India.