RDIF and Stelis Biopharma partner to supply 200 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund), and Stelis Biopharma Pvt. Ltd., the biopharmaceutical division of Strides, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in India, have partnered to produce, and supply a minimum of 200 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus sufficient to vaccinate 100 million people. The agreement between RDIF and Stelis Biopharma was reached under the aegis of Enso Healthcare LLP (part of Enso Group), RDIF’s coordination partner for sourcing Sputnik V vaccines in India.

Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus infection, is now approved for use in over 50 countries. Sputnik V is a two-dose vaccine which uses two different human adenoviral vectors in the course of vaccination.

The vaccine demonstrates a 91.6% efficacy rate as confirmed by a peer-reviewed study published in the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, which found the vaccine to offer consistent and strong protective effect across all participant age groups.

The parties intend to commence supplies from the Q3 of 2021. Stelis will also continue to work with the RDIF to provide additional supply volumes beyond the initial agreement.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said: “We are delighted to announce our agreement with Stelis Biopharma for a significant capacity of Sputnik V. The Russian vaccine with efficacy of 91.6% is one of the best vaccines against coronavirus in the world. The significant vaccine volumes which will be produced jointly with Stelis will help to widen access to the vaccine on a global scale.”

Arun Kumar, Founder of Strides Group, said: “We are delighted to partner with RDIF to make a substantial contribution towards providing global supply of the Sputnik V vaccine which is one of the most efficacious approved vaccines commercially available.

We will also work with RDIF to increase the availability of the vaccine beyond our initial commitments.”

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia’s sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF’s management company is based in Moscow. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from over 18 countries attracting over $40 bn of capital. Further information can be found at rdif.ru

Stelis Biopharma Pvt. Ltd. (Stelis) is a vertically integrated biopharmaceutical company. Stelis offers end-to-end state-of-the-art CDMO services across all phases of pre-clinical and clinical development and commercial supply of biologics. Its operations include R&D, process development, scale-up & end-to-end cGMP manufacturing capabilities from drug substance through drug product in all formats and packaging. Stelis is also developing select follow-on biologic products for global markets in niche and commercially attractive disease categories. Stelis has recently forayed into Vaccine manufacturing with a capability to do multiple vaccine types. Stelis’ state-of-the-art research & development facility and 200,000 sq. ft. fully integrated cGMP manufacturing facility are located in Bengaluru, India. Facilities cater to the development and cGMP manufacturing of biologics and injectables conforming to international standards. For more information visit www.stelis.com

Strides, listed on the BSE Limited and National Stock Exchange of India Limited (STAR), is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The Company mainly operates in the regulated markets and has an “in Africa for Africa” strategy along with an institutional business to service donor-funded markets. The Company’s global manufacturing sites are located in India (Chennai, Puducherry and two locations in Bengaluru), Singapore, Italy (Milan), Kenya (Nairobi) and the United States (Florida). The Company focusses on “difficult to manufacture” products that are sold in over 100 countries.