India may start producing Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine: Putin

India and China may start producing Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, the RIA news agency cited President Vladimir Putin as saying on Tuesday.

Putin also proposed that the creation of a vaccine research centre for BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - be sped up, TASS reported.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, the country's sovereign wealth fund said on Nov. 11.

Russia licensed its Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use in August before it started large-scale trials.

In September, Dr Reddy's and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund, entered into a partnership to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V vaccine and its distribution in India.

As part of the partnership, RDIF shall supply 100 million doses of the vaccine to Dr Reddy's upon regulatory approval in India.