MILAN (AP) – Russia has signed an agreement to produce its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, in Italy, the first contract with a European Union country, the Italo-Russian Chamber of Commerce announced.
The pact was signed between Adienne Srl, the Italian subsidiary of a Swiss pharmaceutical company, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Production will begin in July and this year will reach 10 million doses.
“The innovative production process will help create new jobs and allow Italy to control the entire production process of the compound,” the chamber said in a statement. The financial terms of the pact were not disclosed.
Russian authorities are working on 20 similar collaborations in the European Union, and the Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 45 nations around the world, the group added.
The Russian Fund for Direct Investment, which has financed the development of the vaccine and markets it abroad, noted that Sputnik V production will span several countries, including India, South Korea, Brazil, China, Turkey and Iran, as well as Belarus and Kazakhstan. Some overseas manufacturers have produced trial batches of the vaccine, but there is little indication that they have made large quantities so far.
–
