Mankind Pharma-RDIF ink pact for marketing and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RIDF) has partnered with Indian pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma for the sale and distribution of its Sputnik V vaccine in India, two sources aware of the matter were quoted as saying by state media reports. Apart from India, RDIF also has pacts with Russian and Korean manufactures for over 50 million doses of Sputnik's COVID-19 vaccine. Mankind is expected to receive the vaccine doses after it gets approval. 

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RDIF signs an agreement with Mankind for COVID-19 vaccine

As per state media reports, the recent pact signed between RDIF and Mankind is expected to supplement the deal between Dr Reddy's Laboratories. However, unlike Dr Reddy's, Mankind will not be conducting any clinical trials for Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Last month in September, Dr Reddy's had signed a contract with RDIF according to which it will conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V vaccine and its sales in the country. Under this contract, RDIF will give over 100 million doses of the vaccine to Dr Reddy's. 

The announcement of the new partnership came after the announcement made by Dr Reddy's on Saturday regarding the approval received by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) VG Somgai for conducting an adaptive phase II and III clinical trials for the Sputnik V vaccine. The phase III clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V will be multi-centre, observer-blind and randomised controlled study. CEO of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev said that Russia is in discussion with the Indian government for localised production of Sputnik V in the country.

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The results of phase I-II trials of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine were published by a medical journal The Lancet. On August 11, the Sputnik V vaccine which was developed jointly by RDIF and the Gamaleya National Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology became the world's first registered vaccine for Coronavirus. According to the researchers, Sputnik V is a human adenoviral vector vaccine which fights against the COVID-19 disease. 

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Further, DCGI had directed Dr Reddy's to conduct proper monitoring for a humoral and cell-mediated immune response during the trial. While humoral immune response includes immunity provided by antibodies, cell-mediated response refers to that provided by T-cells.

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

(Image: PTI | Representative)