Italy is the first EU country to produce Sputnik V corona vaccine
Sputnik V has not yet been approved by the European Union
Quelle: AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr
The way for the first Sputnik-V plant in Europe has been prepared: production in Italy is scheduled to start in June. Ten million doses of the Russian corona vaccine could be produced there by the end of the year.
In Italy, the construction of the first European production facility for the vaccine is planned before the EU approval of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. The Russian state fund RDIF and the Swiss pharmaceutical company Adienne would build the factory, said the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce. The Italian supervisory authorities would still have to approve the project.
Scientists certify that the vaccine is almost 92 percent effective. The effectiveness is thus comparable to vaccines already approved in the EU, such as that from the Mainz company Biontech.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, it is planned to start production in June and produce ten million vaccine units by the end of the year. Chamber of Commerce boss Vincenzo Trani called the agreement historical and proof that Italian companies would stand above political differences.
The approval process for Sputnik V at the EU Medicines Agency (EMA) is still ongoing. Italy is the fourth EU country that does not want to wait for this process. In Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Sputnik V has already been approved or national approval processes are in progress.
Sputnik-V developers demand public apology
The developers of Sputnik V also criticized the EMA on Tuesday. “We demand a public apology from Christa Wirthumer-Hoche from the EMA because of her negative comments on the direct approval of Sputnik V in EU countries,” wrote the vaccine researchers on Twitter. The chairwoman of the EMA board of directors had described the premature use of the Russian vaccine before EU-wide approval as “Russian roulette”.
“Your remarks raise serious questions about possible political interference in the ongoing EMA investigation,” wrote the Russian researchers. Sputnik V has already been approved by 46 countries.
