The first batch of Sputnik V vaccine produced by VABIOTECH. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has successfully manufactured its first batch of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine from semi-finished products, Vietnamese pharmaceutical company VABIOTECH announced on Friday.

Coded SV-030721M, this vaccine was evaluated by the Gamaleya Center, the Russian research institute that developed the Sputnik V vaccine, in order to meet regulatory requirements.

The vaccine will be used in the country's National Expanded Programme for Immunisation, in response to the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections and amid a limited supply of vaccines.

President of VABIOTECH Đỗ Tuấn Đạt said: “We are very happy to announce the successful manufacture of this first batch of vaccine Sputnik V in Việt Nam. This batch was analysed and evaluated by the Russian side to meet requirements.”

The domestic manufacturing of Sputnik V will give more people access to qualified sources of vaccination, he said, adding the company is also pushing forward the registration of Sputnik Light vaccine which only requires one dose.

The vaccine makes use of heterogeneous boosting, meaning that it employs two different vectors over the course of the two shots, which the developer claims to provide longer immunity than ones that use the same delivery mechanism.

The Sputnik V vaccine, which enjoys the title of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for use, was given conditional authorisation for use in Việt Nam on March 23, following AstraZeneca.

VABIOTECH announced they would manufacture the vaccine on a trial basis on July 21.

Sputnik V is one of the few COVID-19 vaccines that have a publicly available price (less than $10 a jab), and also can be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures (2-8 degrees Celsius) without the need for ultracold chain storage.

— VNS