Coronavirus: how is the Richmond agreement to manufacture Sputnik V in the country and who will the vaccines be for

Pablo Sigal

04/20/2021 19:55

• Clarín.com

• Society

Updated 04/20/2021 20:02

The Russian Direct Investment Fund announced on Tuesday that the

Sputnik V

coronavirus

vaccine

will be manufactured in Argentina

from June. The idea is that it is the beginning of a path that, if all goes well, would end the entire production process in the country. Meanwhile, starting this winter, what will be done here is

the last part of the process

, linked to the filtering and filling of the vials.

Sources from the Richmond laboratory, in charge of carrying out this work in the country, assured

Clarín

that

"everything that is produced in Argentina will be for local use

, according to the conversations in Russia." This news was known while the president of the laboratory, Marcelo Figueiras, is in that country adjusting the details of the project.

Russia's goal would be that, 

in just over a year,

Figueiras and his company can manufacture the vaccine from scratch in Argentina and export to Latin America. For that they still have to build a plant in Pilar and carry out the entire

technology transfer

process

. Meanwhile, the Argentine laboratory will receive the active principle of the vaccine that the Russians will send and will finish the production process.

According to the sources of the laboratory, for the month of

June

they could already be completing the manufacture of

one million monthly doses

and, for August,

five million every 30 days

.

In any case, the laboratory admits that for this to happen Argentina

will

still

depend

on the active principle of the vaccine arriving in time and form from Russia.

Everything would change, it is assumed, when around June 2022 the new Richmond production plant could be completed and then

another stage would begin.

As planned, the Indian Hetero laboratory will transfer technology to the Argentine laboratory so that local manufacturing of the active ingredient can begin on a large scale.

Advisor Cecilia Nicolini, Minister Carla Vizzotti and Marcelo Figueiras, with the Sputnik V vaccine vials. Photo: Télam

The sources of the Russian Investment Fund consulted could not confirm whether, as of June, the Sputnik V vaccines that have yet to arrive in Argentina, according to the purchase contract already signed, will leave the Richmond laboratory.

They said there is likely to be

a combination

of local production with planes that would continue to bring doses from Moscow.

The sources of the Richmond laboratory consulted valued the news: "We have to lower the decibels,

for now we will continue to depend on the provider,

" they said.

However, there is a first point in favor that arises from this initial agreement: it would be

easier

for Russia to

export the active principle

than the finished product, thus the availability of doses of Sputnik V would be accelerated.

Another important piece of information is that Richmond, according to the plan, will be responsible for the production of

both component one and component two

of the vaccine.

That is, first and second doses.

It is also known that the availability of the active principle of the second dose is lower than that of the first.

Saving distances, what Richmond will do in this first stage for the Gamaleya Institute is related to the part of the production that the Mexican laboratory Liomont must take care of today, from the reception of the active principle that it produces in Argentina for AstraZeneca the MabXience lab.

From the official Twitter account of the Sputnik V vaccine, they highlighted the news and expressed to President Alberto Fernández their

enthusiasm for the possibility of producing Sputnik V

in Argentina.

"We are already protecting a large part of our population with this vaccine and it gives excellent results," they noted from the Russian account.

The Argentine government celebrated the progress in the local production of vaccines against Covid-19, but

asked for prudence

regarding the deadlines, in relation to when local production can begin.

"It is a biological process that can have delays and some difficulties until it reaches optimal levels."

That will be when the moment of the second stage arrives, which as they advanced in Richmond is expected to take place within a period of 14 months.

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