Prestige Biopharma said that it has received a technology transfer to manufacture the Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine from Russia's Human Vaccine and ENSO Healthcare DMCC.
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 has only one type of vector (adenovirus type 26), completing vaccination with just one jab.
Prestige Biopharma is part of the Huons Global Consortium, which comprises Humedix and Boran Pharma, and won the contract to manufacture Sputnik V and Sputnik Light in Korea from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in July, according to the company.
Human Vaccine is an RDIF subsidiary with a license to produce and sell Sputnik vaccines, while ENSO is RDIF's official partner that procures and distributes Sputnik vaccines.
The technology transfer contract is the previous stage of the consignment production contract between Huons Global Consortium and RDIF. It includes the transfer of Sputnik Light's drug substance and production technology and validation.
For the smooth production of the two vaccines, Prestige Biopharma has completed the construction of an annex building at its first campus in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, where a commercial vaccine production facility was built last month and planned to complete the construction of Prestige Biopharma Vaccine Center in its second campus within this year.
The company plans to secure a vaccine production capacity of 104,000 liters by establishing the annex building and Prestige Biopharma Vaccine Center and allocating a part of its capacity to the contract manufacture of Sputnik Light.
However, Prestige Biopharma explained that as the contract this time concerns only the technology transfer of Sputnik Light, and the company would announce how much of the 104,000 liters it plans to allocate to producing Sputnik Light after further discussion.
The company also stressed that it plans to allocate the remaining production capacity to the consignment production of Sputnik V.
To establish a drug product production capacity that includes product filling and packaging for global vaccine supply, the company has recently made preparations to purchase a state-of-the-art filling machine that automatically packs drug solutions from Cytiva.
"Prestige Biopharma Vaccine Center's schematic boasts an international scale, and the company expects that it will be able to mass-produce various vaccines in a short time," Prestige Biopharma CEO Park So-yeon said. "Our first project for Sputnik V will produce tangible results as planned, and the company feels a great responsibility for producing Sputnik Light."
The company is fortunate to participate in the supply of the Covid-19 vaccine quickly and flexibly by securing relevant technology and production facilities in advance when the world is experiencing a vaccine supply crisis, Park said. She added that the company plans to quickly respond to various types of vaccine supply-demand by maximizing its vaccine-related technology and facilities.