Serum Institute of India looks set to add the Russian vaccine Sputnik V to its basket of Covid-19 antidotes. The Pune-based vaccine-maker is said to have approached the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to produce this two-dose vaccine.
While Serum chief Adar Poonawalla has in the past indicated that the company has been in talks with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Sputnik V, neither entity has made a formal announcement on the same. A source confirmed to
The actual manufacturing is still 4-5 months away, the person indicated, though it was not clear if this was a “fill finish” arrangement.
Serum Covid vaccine alliances include a production tie-up for the AstraZeneca-OxfordUniversity jab. The company expects to up production to 100 million doses a month (from about 70 million), by July. It is also undertaking bridging trials on the Covid vaccine of American company Novavax and expects it to be completed by about September.