The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, and one of the leading pharmaceutical distributors in Nepal, Trinity Pharmaceuticals, have agreed to supply to the country 25 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine based on a well-studied human adenoviral vectors platform.

The agreement will enable 90% of population of Nepal to get access to Sputnik V vaccine and provide country’s clinics with an anti-COVID vaccine with proven safety and efficacy.

The agreement underlines that many countries recognize the importance of having a vaccine based on a human adenoviral vector platform in the coronavirus vaccine portfolio. The human adenoviral vector platform is a well-researched vaccine platform that has been proven safe over decades including through 75 international scientific publications and in more than 250 clinical trials.

Clinical trials of the Russian vaccine have shown no serious adverse events, with Sputnik V generating a stable humoral and cellular immune response in 100% of participants. In contrast, vaccines based on novel platforms have yet to prove their safety and currently have no data on carcinogenicity or effects on fertility.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said:

“Thanks to agreement with Trinity Pharmaceuticals about 90% of population of Nepal will be provided with Sputnik V vaccine. Unlike experimental vaccines based on monkey adenovirus or mRNA, Sputnik V vaccine was created on human adenoviral vectors platform, which has been studied over decades and has proven no negative effects in the long-term. We see a strong interest from other partners in Asia. In this regard, RDIF is ready to supply Sputnik V vaccine to the countries of the region as novel coronavirus infection is our common enemy which can be defeated only by joining our efforts”.

Kishor Adhikari, Director of Trinity Pharmaceuticals, said:

“We are excited to announce our cooperation with Russian Direct Investment Fund. Trinity is waiting for results of the final trial of Sputnik V. As soon as the vaccine is approved by Government of Nepal we will make it available for the population of Nepal”.