Producing 'safe' Sputnik V is ‘a complex task’ but we’ll handle it – boss of Russian Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer tells RT

The head of the Russian company that will launch the mass production of the world's first registered Covid-19 vaccine has said that the formula is effective and safe – in fact, he's so sure that he's already had his first shot.

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to start a “large-scale” vaccination campaign across the country. There are currently two Russian-made vaccines, Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona, which have been registered with the state drug regulator.

Sputnik V will be free for Russian citizens, and the vaccine will be “very affordable” for other markets too, Dmitry Morozov, the head of the Moscow-based Biocad pharmaceutical company, told RT. However, he stressed he was not authorized to disclose pricing details at the moment.

“The entire program is state-funded. I am sure that this vaccine will not be distributed via commercial channels, at least not for now,” he said.

Morozov added he was “positive that our production capacity will be enough to handle it.” He explained that the vaccine created by the Gamaleya Research Institute, also based in the Russian capital, consists of two different shots.

“It’s quite a complex task in terms of production because you have to manufacture two vaccines as opposed to one.”

Biocad announced the contract for Sputnik V production in September. The company currently makes 60 types of drugs, including those for patients with cancer, HIV, and hepatitis, according to its website.

Morozov said the trials have produced “convincing data” proving that Sputnik V vaccine is safe.

“I’ve had my shots already. My family too: both my wife and myself. Not the children, though, as there is no reason to vaccinate them. I got it when the very first clinical trials started, and my wife [got vaccinated] a bit later,” he said.

On Wednesday, the officials behind Sputnik V said its efficacy rate was over 95 percent on day 42 after the administering of the first dose.

Last month, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which funded the development of the vaccine, struck a deal with Indian company Hetero to annually produce more than 100 million doses of Sputnik V in India. The RDIF also said it had signed an agreement with South Korean firm GL Rapha to make more than 150 million doses per year.

Also in November, Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez said his country had agreed to buy an initial 10 million doses of Sputnik V, and would order more if the clinical trials prove to be successful.

The EU, on the other hand, has cautioned Hungary about its plans to import Sputnik V without the authorization of the bloc’s European Medicines Agency.

“The vaccine cannot be circulated elsewhere in the European Union other than Hungary,” European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer told reporters earlier this week.

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