MOSCOW (Reuters) – Indian biotech firm Panacea Biotec Ltd on Monday began production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, said the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets the shot internationally.
The first batch made by the Indian manufacturer will be shipped to Gamaleya, the Moscow institute which developed the vaccine, for quality controls, RDIF said in a statement.
Full-scale production is expected to begin this summer, RDIF added. Panacea Biotec plans to produce 100 million doses of Sputnik V annually, RDIF said in April.
(Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy; writing by Polina Ivanova; editing by Jason Neely)
