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Sputnik V vaccine produced in large bioreactors for mass output, RDIF says

He noted that the production of Sputnik V started in other countries, for instance, in India, South Korea, Brazil and China

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Production of Sputnik V has switched to large bioreactors which allows to set up a mass output of the vaccine, Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel.

"The vaccine production has already shifted to large bioreactors which, accordingly, allow to arrange a mass [output]," he said.

He noted that the production of Sputnik V started in other countries, for instance, in India, South Korea, Brazil and China. "We actually use their industrial capacities in order to satisfy demand on external markets," he added.

On August 11, Russia became the first worldwide to register the vaccine against the coronavirus which was named Sputnik V. The preparation was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry and passed clinical trials in June-July. Post-registration trials began in Moscow on September 7, the first vaccine was administered to volunteers on September 9. In all, 40,000 people participate in the program, with 10,000 of them receiving a placebo instead of the vaccine. The effectiveness of the Sputnik V vaccine, according to the interim study results, surpasses 95% on Day 42 after introducing the first dose of the preparation on the condition that a patient is administered the second dose.