Panacea Biotech has started manufacturing Sputnik V in collaboration with the Russian partner RDIF the company said in a statement issued on Monday.
Panacea Biotech will be producing the vaccine at it's at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. The company however did not disclose when large-scale production would start and only indicated production will be raised to full extent by the summer. Panacea Biotech is looking at 100 million doses annually though the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine produced at it's facilities will be shipped to Russia's Gamaleya Center for "quality control".
The Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in 66 countries and claims 97% efficacy against coronavirus. Covishield manufacturer Serum Institute holds 7% stake in Panacea Biotech.