Lebanese Firm Intends To Produce Up To 25Mln Sputnik V Doses In 2021 - President

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th August, 2021) Lebanon's Arwan Pharmaceutical Industries is planning to manufacture approximately 25 million doses of Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V by the end of the year and launch production of the single-dose Sputnik Light shot starting next month, the company's president Abdul Razzaq Yousef, told Sputnik.

Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan, who arrived in Moscow for a visit this Tuesday, earlier told Sputnik that he was planning to discuss the final details of the agreement between the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Arwan on production of both Sputnik vaccines.

The Lebanese pharma giant intends to produce some 25 million doses by the end of 2021. In the future, the company's annual vaccine output is going to be about 60 million doses.

"Starting next month, we will begin producing one million Sputnik Light doses monthly," Yousef added, noting that Arwan had reached an understanding with the Russian side on all technical and commercial matters.

Lebanon started its vaccination drive in mid-February, using Sputnik V as well as the vaccines by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm. The country has vaccinated over one million people so far. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has confirmed more than 563,000 COVID-19 cases, including 7,912 deaths.

The middle Eastern nation is also facing an exodus of doctors and medical workers due to the ongoing economic crisis, along with a deficit of even basic medicines as the paralyzed banking system prevents private companies from importing drugs from abroad.