Dr Reddy's Labs isolates data centre post cyber attack amid trial of Russian Covid vaccine

Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Thursday said that it has isolated' all its data services following a cyber attack. The pharma giant reported a data breach a few days after it received regulatory approvals from DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) to conduct phase 2 & 3 clinical human trials for Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V. Dr Reddy's CIO Mukesh Rathi told ANI that they have isolated all data services for 24 hours. 

Mukesh Rathi told ANI, "We are anticipating all services to be up within 24 hours and we do not foresee any major impact on our operations due to this incident."

READ | Israel Says It Has Foiled Big Cyber Attack By Foreign State-backed Hacker ‘Lazarus’

Dr Reddy's Laboratories takes 'preventive action'

The pharma company also informed ANI that it has stopped all its data services as 'preventive action'. Dr Reddy's Laboratories in its phase 2 clinical trials if Sputnik V vaccine will include 100 subjects and for phase 3, it will consider 1400 subjects. A government official informed that once the pharma company would submit the safety and immunogenicity data of phase 2 trials of the vaccine, it will be analysed by the expert panel and after the final approval the company will process with its phase 3 trials. 

READ | Beijing On Cyber-attack, East China Sea Tension

DCGI permits Sputnik V trials

Earlier, Dr Reddy's lab had submitted an application to DCGI seeking permission to conduct phase 2 & 3 clinical human trials for the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V. The drugs regulator conducted a technical evaluation of the application before giving permission to the pharmaceutical company. According to the officials, the clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V will be multi-centre, observer-blind and randomised controlled study and the primary focus of the study will be on safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine. According to ANI, Russia has promised will supply 100 million doses of Sputnik V to Dr Reddy's Laboratories. RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev further informed that Russia is in discussion with the Indian government for the localised production of Sputnik V in the country. 

READ | Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine To Be Tested On 100 Indian Volunteers During Its Phase-2 Trials

Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V 

COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V was developed by RDIF in collaboration with the Gamaleya National Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology. This vaccine became the world's first registered vaccine against COVID-19 on August 11 and is currently undergoing phase 3 trials in Russia. Researchers suggest that Sputnik V is a human adenoviral vector vaccine that fights against the COVID-19 disease. The results of phase I-II trials of Russia's vaccine were published by a medical journal The Lancet. 

READ | Dr Reddy's Laboratories Seeks DCGI Nod To Conduct Phase III Trials Of Sputnik V Vaccine

(With ANI inputs)