Test batch of the Sputnik V vaccine produced in Iran

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund), and Actoverco, one of Iran’s leading pharmaceutical companies, announce the production of a test batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.

Iran has become the first country in the Middle East to produce Sputnik V. The vaccine produced in Iran will be used in the national vaccination program.

To date, Sputnik V has been registered in 67 countries globally with a total population of over 3.5 billion people. The data obtained by regulators of a number of countries during the vaccination of the population, including Argentina, Serbia, Bahrain, Hungary, Mexico and others, demonstrates that Sputnik V is one of the safest and most effective vaccines against coronavirus.

Sputnik V is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors and uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, commented:

“RDIF and Actoverco are actively cooperating in the technology transfer process. Local production of the Sputnik V vaccine in Iran will accelerate the vaccination pace without logistics costs. Sputnik V is already playing an important role in protecting the country's population against the coronavirus, and domestic production will support Iran's efforts to combat the pandemic.”

Sputnik V has a number of key advantages:

• The Sputnik V vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.

• Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.

• The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.

• There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.

• The storage temperature of Sputnik V at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.

• The price of Sputnik V is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.

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 RUB 2tn 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. 

Actoverco is one of Iran’s biggest and most reputable pharmaceutical companies best known for its high quality products with dedicated production plants for Biotech, Oncology, Hazardous, Hormonal, Injectable and Oral Solid Dosage products. Actoverco produces more than 300 different products covering therapeutic fields from Diabetes, Cardiovascular, Neurology, Gastrointestinal, Urology, Antiviral, Oncology, Immuno-suppressants, Hormones and Supplements to complex biotech products such as Interferons and Mono Clonal Antibodies for the domestic and international markets. Actoverco is a family owned company, active in the pharmaceutical business for about 50 years and since 2010 is entirely focused on production of the high quality and high-tech pharmaceutical products in the most advanced production facilities built according to the latest GMP and pharmaceutical industry standards. Actoverco has been the leading Iranian company to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and the first to launch and supply the vital antiviral products such as Remdesivir and Favipiravir and now is focusing to be the first Iranian company to produce an internationally approved Covid-19 vaccine in its state of the art biotech facilities.