This is one of the largest single deliveries of a COVID vaccine to a Latin American country
MOSCOW, Dec. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the delivery of the first batch of 300,000 doses of Sputnik V, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus, to Argentina.
This delivery is part of the total supply volume of 10 million doses agreed by RDIF and the Government of Argentina on December 10, 2020. On December 23, Argentina's National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices (ANMAT) granted Sputnik V emergency use authorization and approved the use of the vaccine in the country.
The supply of 300,000 doses to Argentina is one of the largest single shipments of a COVID vaccine to any country in Latin America.
Sputnik V has a unique set of parameters making it one of the most competitive vaccines globally. On December 14, the Gamaleya National Center and RDIF announced the results of the third and final control point analysis of data obtained 21 days after administering the first dose to volunteers. The efficacy of the vaccine is 91.4%. Calculation was based on the analysis of data of volunteers (n = 22,714) who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the third and final control point of 78 confirmed cases in accordance with the Phase III clinical trials protocol. The vaccine was confirmed to be highly effective, at a rate of above 90%, at each of the three control points of the clinical trials (20, 39 and 78 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection among volunteers both in the placebo group and in the group that received the vaccine).
The vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy against severe coronavirus cases. There were 20 severe cases of coronavirus infection among confirmed cases in the placebo group and no severe cases in the vaccine group.
The cost of one dose is less than $10 for international markets and the production of the lyophilized (dry) form of the vaccine, which is stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, enables the vaccine to be easily distributed to international markets.
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, commented:
"The delivery of the Sputnik V vaccine to Argentina is a great example of cooperation between our countries and a truly historic moment. The whole country watched the plane with the first batch of Sputnik V vaccine land at Ezeiza Airport on Christmas Eve with the great hope that this is the beginning of the new COVID-free era. V in the name of our vaccine stands for Victory and we wish the people of Argentina a decisive victory over this disease.
"Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to officially authorize the use of Sputnik V vaccine. The delivery of 300,000 doses will enable our partners in Argentina to begin mass-scale vaccination before the end of 2020. Sputnik V is already used for vaccination in Russia and we support the decision of the Government of Argentina to include our vaccine in the national portfolio of anti-COVID tools as Sputnik V is based on a safe and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors proven over decades."
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF's management company is based in Moscow. Currently, RDIF has experience of the successful joint implementation of more than 80 projects with foreign partners totaling more than RUB1.9 tn and covering 95% of the regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF portfolio companies employ more than 800,000 people and generate revenues which equate to more than 6% of Russia's GDP. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from more than 18 countries that total more than $40 bn. Further information can be found at rdif.ru.
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