Russia’s pharmaceutical company R-Pharm plans to produce the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, developed in Moscow, in the southern German state of Bavaria, starting in June, DPA reported.
“We are making every effort so that (production) can start in the summer,” said R-Pharm CEO Alexander Bikov. He added that the laboratory in the Bavarian town of Illertissen is already equipped and will be able to produce millions of doses a month.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet formally approved the Russian vaccine for use in the EU.
“We are waiting for the EMA’s decision, because it is the legal basis we need to start the proceedings,” Bikov said.
EU member states could then be supplied with Sputnik V by Illertissen. Two EMA inspections in Russia are scheduled for April, according to the DPA.
A source from the German government said on Monday that Berlin was pushing for the approval of “Satellite V at European level.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed in principle to discuss the use of the Russian vaccine to immunize the German population, reminds DPA.
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