Egyptian to locally produce Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine

Egyptian to locally produce Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine

A medical specialist holds a vial of Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in a department store in Moscow, Russia, January 18, 2021 - Reuters







CAIRO – 21 April 2021: Egypt's leading pharmaceutical company Minapharm said it would produce over 40 million doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine per year, as per an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

The agreement to produce the world's first registered vaccine against the novel virus also includes Minapharm's Berlin-based subsidiary ProBioGen AG.

Minapharm in a press release said the parties to the agreement plan to immediately start transferring technology required, expecting the rollout of the vaccine in the third quarter of 2021.

Minapharm says production of the 40 million annual doses will take place in its Cairo biotech facility for global distribution.

“Minapharm's German subsidiary, ProBioGen AG, aims to undertake efforts for process optimization to further increase the