The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and Panacea Biotec on Tuesday announced the shipment of the second component of Sputnik V vaccine produced in India by Panacea.
The second jab of the Sputnik vaccine comprises human adenovirus serotype 5. Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Panacea has an agreement with RDIF to manufacture 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V. Doses of the second component are being manufactured at Panacea’s vaccine manufacturing facility in Himachal Pradesh. The company received clearance from the Central Drug Laboratories, Kasauli, on August 31 and then started full-scale production. The batch will be distributed in India through Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.
Panacea Biotec successfully produced and dispatched the first batch, and more batches are in production. The Sputnik V approach of using two different vectors for two shots of the vaccine is said to provide immunity for a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots. Sputnik V has demonstrated efficacy of 97.6% and has already received Emergency Usage Authorisation in India.
