COVID-19 vaccine: Russia seeks India's help in manufacturing, conducting Phase-3 trials, says NITI Aayog's VK Paul

4 | Chinese President Xi Jinping offers to cooperate with India, BRICS countries to develop COVID-19 vaccine: Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 17 offered to cooperate with India and other BRICS nations in the development of vaccines against the coronavirus and called for holding a symposium by the five-member bloc on traditional medicine to explore its role in the COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

Russia has approached India to consider manufacturing its COVID-19 vaccine through the network of Indian companies and assist in phase-3 studies in India, Dr VK Paul, Member of NITI Aayog (Health), said.

"The vaccine developed by Russia has been under consideration of the country. The Government of Russia approached our government and sought help on two counts- to consider its manufacturing through our network of companies, and phase-3 studies in India," said Paul, reported ANI.

The vaccine developed by Russia has been under consideration of the country. Government of Russia approached our govt & sought help on two counts- to consider its manufacturing through our network of companies, and phase 3 studies in India: Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog pic.twitter.com/d8f9A40k85

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— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2020

Paul also said, "The government of India attaches great importance to this offer of partnership from a very special friend of this nation, and on both the tracks there has been significant movement."

The development comes after Russia had expressly shown interest in partnering with India to produce the COVID-19 vaccine. Besides, India was among the 20 nations that were interested in being part of Sputnik V’s phase-III trials.

Earlier, on September 7, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, confirmed that the phase-III clinical trials of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will begin in India from September.

The third phase of the clinical trials of the Russian coronavirus vaccine will also be conducted in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, and Brazil, reported News18.

Dmitriev also informed that the preliminary results of the Phase-III Sputnik V trials will be published by October-November 2020.

After Russia registered Sputnik V as the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine on August 11 – jointly developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry – Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had expressed confidence in the efficacy of the vaccine even in the face of reasonable doubt.

On September 7, India overtook Brazil to become the second country in the world with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. It also recorded more cases over the weekend than Brazil and the US combined, accounting for 40 percent of all the COVID-19 cases reported over the weekend from around the world.