APS : Saturday, 13 February 2021
ALGIERS – The “Sputnik V” Covid-19 vaccine will be locally manufactured in partnership with Russia, said on Saturday in Algiers Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Lotfi Benbahmed,
adding that the public pharmaceutical group “Saidal” will be the exclusive producer of the vaccine.
“The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) which is in charge of the commercialization of the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” developed by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, had identified three months ago, a number of countries capable of manufacturing the vaccine, including Algeria for the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa)” Benbahmed told APS.
The growing global demand for vaccines is pushing the manufacturing countries to outsource production to meet global demand, said the minister.
“Ten days ago, we responded favorably to this cooperation,” said the minister, explaining that this decision “has been made based on a series of consultations between the Ministry of Pharmaceutical Industry and the National Agency for Pharmaceutical Products (ANPP), and experts from Russia, representing RDIF and the Gamaleya Institute.”
We been provided with “a platform, including the technical data needed in the manufacture of the vaccine and which are currently being examined by Algerian and Russian experts, in order to determine the stages of production, as well as the material and human resources needed for the local production of the vaccine,” added the minister.
“The partnership will be concluded between the RDIF and the public pharmaceutical group ‘Saidal’ which was chosen t be the exclusive producer of this vaccine,” added the minister.
Saidal possesses the vaccine production capacities and will be provided with the raw material by the Russian side.
The two parties, Russian and Algerian, are willing to produce the raw material in Algeria, which will make this vaccine a 100% local product, announced the Minister.
The Algerian-Russian partnership will be in two stages. The 1st one concerns the “local production from the raw material which will be supplied by the Russian partner then the production of the raw material in Algeria, then to move to the production of this vaccine in its entirety in Algeria,” explained Benbahmed.
“The raw material will be produced thanks to a biotechnology technique for the first time in Algeria and in Africa,” said the minister.
Algeria, a long-standing economic partner for Russia has been chosen for the transfer of this technology and the production of the vaccine, he said.
