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Coronavirus pandemic

Italy ready to produce Sputnik V if approved by EU, Russian diplomat says

Earlier, the European Commission explained that bilateral talks with companies not included in the European-wide packet of contracts for vaccine deliveries are not encouraged yet cannot be forbidden

ROME, February 11. /TASS/. Italian regions are not only interested in using the Russian Sputnik V vaccine but are also ready to organize its local production, Russia’s Consul General in Genoa Maria Vedrinskaya told TASS on Thursday.

"I had a meeting with President of the Regional Council of Liguria Gianmarco Medusei and director of Genoa’s infectious diseases clinic of San Martino Hospital Matteo Bassetti. The interlocutors expressed an interest in using the Russian vaccine. They also reported that they are ready to determine possible partners among private companies and enterprises where production can be organized," the diplomat said. It was noted that in order to launch this process, the approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is needed. According to the Italians, it is necessary to begin preparing the foundation for production already now, because after the Russian preparation is certified everything should be ready for its quick implementation.

Against the background of shortages of vaccines allowed for use in the EU (by US-German consortium Pfizer - BioNTech, American Moderna and British-Swedish AstraZeneca), many Italian regions express interest in obtaining the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. It receives high marks of leading Italian specialists. However, representatives of Italian authorities point out that this is impossible until the EMA approves the preparation. All contracts for vaccine purchases until now have been concluded centrally by the European Commission and the distribution of doses is performed proportionally to the number of residents.

Earlier, the European Commission explained that bilateral talks with companies not included in the European-wide packet of contracts for vaccine deliveries are not encouraged yet cannot be forbidden. The Italian legislation provides for unilateral approval of the national regulator of medicinal preparations only in case of an emergency situation which requires a special decree of the Health Ministry. Thus, last week, the Italian Medicines Agency approved preparations based on monoclonal antibodies for treatment of the coronavirus infection in a test mode.

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