The Italian Russian Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday, that Russia has signed a deal to manufacture its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Italy, marking the first such agreement in the European Union. Adienne Srl, an Italian subsidiary of a Swiss pharmaceutical firm, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, signed the agreement. This year, production of a total of 10 million doses will begin in July. In a statement, the chamber said, “The creative production process would help create new jobs and allow Italy to manage the entire production of the compound.” The financial details were not disclosed. While Sputnik V has yet to be approved for use in the EU, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, began a rolling review of the vaccine last week. According to the chamber, Russian authorities are working on 20 similar partnerships in Europe, and the Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 45 countries worldwide.
The EU has been chastised for its sluggish vaccine implementation, and several EU countries have opted not to wait for approval from the European Medicines Agency. Last month, Hungary became the first EU country to allow the use of Sputnik V, and Slovakia announced a deal to buy 2 million Sputnik V doses last week, receiving the first shipment of 200,000 doses. According to a French Industry Ministry official, the French government has had frequent exchanges regarding Sputnik V, but the country currently does not have a production site available that would satisfy the required demands, so no contract has been signed to manufacture the vaccine in France.
The official reiterated France’s stance that vaccines are chosen not because of their country of origin, but rather because they are successful, secure, and EMA-approved. According to a French official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron began a conversation about the Sputnik V vaccine in the autumn, and Paris sent a delegation of experts to Russia to hold talks about the vaccine and advise how to manage discussions with the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency.
Roberto Speranza, Italy’s health minister, has stated that he is open to implementing the Russia-developed vaccine in Italy if it receives regulatory approval. Mario Draghi, Italy’s new prime minister, has vowed to speed up the vaccination programme to fight the spread of new strains that have once again put the country’s health system under tension. Just 2.85% of Italy’s population has been completely vaccinated so far. Sputnik V will be manufactured in a number of nations, including India, South Korea, Brazil, China, Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and possibly Iran, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which funds the vaccine and markets it internationally. Last month, Kazakhstan developed 90,000 doses of the vaccine, but there are few signs that significant quantities of the vaccine have been produced outside of Russia so far.
