20 countries including India express interest to obtain world's first COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V'

India is among the 20 countries that have expressed interest in obtaining the new coronavirus vaccine announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, news18.com reported.  Putin on Tuesday announced world's first coronavirus vaccine 'Sputnik V' that is ready to use and works quite effectively. Making the big announcement, Putin said it forms a stable immunity against coronavirus informing that one of his daughters has already been vaccinated.

Russia will launch mass production of the Sputnik V or Covid-19 vaccine in September.

According to Russian government statement, Russia Development Investment Fund or RDIF (Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) finances the production of the Sputnik V in Russia on the basis of production capacities of its portfolio companies, R-Pharm and Binnopharm, a part of the Alium Group. 

"The RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund) seen strong global interest in the vaccine and plans to conduct Phase 3



clinical trials in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil, India and Philippines, and start mass production in other countries in partnership with local sovereign wealth funds, including India, South Korea and Brazil, as well as, in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Cuba," said the statement, addinng that the plan is to ramp up the vaccine production to 200 million doses by the end of 2020, including 30 million doses in Russia.

At least 20 countries had expressed interest in obtaining the Sputnik V, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brazil, Mexico and India," added the statement.

The vaccine was named 'Sputnik V' in reference to the 1957 launch of a Soviet satellite, which opened space to exploration by humans.

The Russian president has asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to keep him informed about the vaccine, while at the same time noting that he knows "it works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity”