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Mexico to begin Sputnik V vaccine production at end of June

Mexico City, Mexico — Laboratorios de Biológicos y Reactivos de México (Birmex) says that at the end of June, the laboratory will begin the production process of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in Mexico.

“At the end of May, the required tests will be carried out so that Cofepris and the Gamaleya Center grant the authorization and, if there are no setbacks, the Sputnik V vaccine would be produced in Mexico the last week of June,” said Birmex in a statement.

The laboratory, which belongs to the federal government, has also submitted the file for the Russian single-dose vaccine Sputnik Light, to the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) for review and authorization for emergency use in Mexico.

Pedro Zenteno Santaella, director of Birmex, was invited to the Russian facilities in Moscow to observe the technology transfer in the packaging of the Sputnik V vaccine and learn about technical processes in order to implement them in Mexico.

On May 4, Cofepris specialists were onsite at the Birmex facilities where they carried out a verification and review visit to ensure good drug manufacturing practices.

The proposal for the local production of Sputnik V came during a recent Moscow visit by the Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. The proposal was in response to shipment delays from various pharmaceutical companies, including Sputnik V itself.

Currently, Mexico produces CanSino and AstraZeneca. Sputnik V would be the third vaccine to be produced in the country, allowing greater availability of vaccines for Mexico’s immunization process.