Wockhardt, RDIF collaborate for producing Sputnik V, Sputnik Light

Mumbai: Wockhardt Limited, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in India and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund have recently partnered to produce and supply Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines against COVID-19.

The agreement was reached under the aegis of Enso Healthcare (part of Enso Group), RDIF's coordination partner for sourcing Sputnik V vaccines in India.

To date, the Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 69 countries globally with a total population of over 3.7 billion people. The data obtained by regulators of a number of countries during the vaccination of the population, including Argentina, Serbia, Bahrain, Hungary, Mexico, San Marino, UAE and others, demonstrates that Sputnik V is one of the safest and most effective vaccines against coronavirus.

In particular, Sputnik V demonstrates 83.1% efficacy against the Delta variant of coronavirus - higher than many other vaccines. The vaccine shows 6 times reduction of infection risk. Sputnik V is also 94.4% effective against hospitalisations with 18 times reduction in hospitalisation risk. Sputnik V is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors and uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots. Sputnik Light is the first component of Sputnik V and is based on human adenovirus serotype 26.

Dr. Habil Khorakiwala, Founder Chairman of Wockhardt Group, said: "We are delighted to partner with RDIF to make a substantial contribution towards providing global supply of the Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines which is one of the most efficacious approved vaccines commercially available. The arrangement upholds our ongoing commitment to fight against such a pandemic of global human importance."

Vinay Maloo, Chairman of Enso Healthcare, said: "It is our privilege to partner with RDIF and Wockhardt to facilitate large scale manufacturing of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines. Vaccinations are the most visible solution to this pandemic. We are proud to be a part of this noble cause. Sputnik V is known to have high efficacy and has emerged as a trusted vaccine."

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