Egypt to Receive 25 Million Doses of Russia’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, announced earlier today that it will be supplying Egypt with 25 million doses of Sputnik V, the COVID-19 vaccine currently being developed by Russia, according to Ahram Online. The potential vaccine will be distributed in Egypt by leading pharmaceutical company Pharco Group.

“The agreement between RDIF and Pharco will help Egypt obtain an efficient and safe vaccine, Sputnik V, for almost 25 percent of its population. The adenoviral vectors platform has a longer safety track record compared to novel technologies such as monkey adenoviral vectors or mRNA used by other vaccine manufacturers. So the people of Egypt will get a proven vaccine created on a platform with no negative long-term effects, including carcinogenicity or risks for fertility in the future. We expect more countries to include Sputnik V in their vaccine portfolios in the coming weeks,” RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev stated in a press release.

According to the press release, issued by RDIF, Russia has also agreed to supply Nepal and Mexico with 25 million and 32 million doses respectively, Brazil with up to 50 million and India—where clinical trials will reportedly be held—with 100 million doses.

Furthermore, Pharco Group president and founder Dr. Sherine Helmy stated that the company is in talks with RDIF regarding “the localization of production in Egypt at the facilities of Biogeneric Pharma [a Pharco subsidiary] within the next few months.”

Earlier this year, Egypt reached similar preliminary agreements with states and pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including British-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca.