Huons said that it has secured an exclusive right for the domestic licensing and sales of Sputnik Light, a one-dose Covid-19 vaccine, from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

Sputnik Light is a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology under Russia's Ministry of Health of Russia and approved for use in Russia in May.

While the vaccine is the same adenovirus vaccine as Sputnik V, it only one type of vector (adenovirus type 26), enabling to complete vaccination with just one jab.

According to Huons, the vaccine has a preventive effect of 79.4 percent with an immunity maintenance period of about three to four months. The vaccine is also undergoing a phase 3 clinical trial with nearly 7,000 participants in Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ghana since the end of February.

Huons plans to pursue the domestic approval of Sputnik Light based on its licensing experience and review various angles for quick approval, such as acquiring an emergency use approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

"As many expect that Covid-19 will become endemic, the company has secured domestic licensing and distribution rights for the Sputnik vaccine to expand the people's vaccine options," Huons CEO Um Ki-ahn said. "As the Huons Global Consortium is in charge of its production, the company expects that there will be no problem in the domestic supply if we obtain approval."

The consortium, composed of Huons Global, Prestige Biopharma, Humedix, and Boran Pharma, will manufacture Sputnik V and Sputnik Light in Korea and start full-scale production in the second half-year.

By the end of this year, the consortium expects to produce 20-30 million doses of Sputnik V or Sputnik Light vaccine a month and turn out more than 100 million doses from next year when it completes facility expansion.