Sputnik V is an opportunity BRICS should not miss, says expert

The Sputnik V vaccine might actually be an adhesive to the fissures that were developed in the BRICS because of tensions between India and China, G Venkat Raman, Associate Professor at Indian Institute of Management, Indore told ETV Bharat.

Hyderabad: As the BRICS grouping is losing its sheen, the Sputnik V vaccine provides an important opportunity for the member nations in finding a common purpose, a prominent expert said.

Commenting on the role of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in energising the ties among the member nations, G Venkat Raman, Associate Professor at Indian Institute of Management, Indore said: “Border skirmishes between India and China has halted the wheels of BRICS. The COVID vaccine will provide the much-needed booster dose to kick start the group functioning.”

It may be recalled Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) group that has India and China at its nucleus had to postpone this year’s annual summit for four months due to COVID-19 disruptions and India-China border tensions triggered by the Galwan incident in last June.

However, things are beginning to change as evident from the 12th BRICS Summit held in early November with a focus on the Sputnik V vaccine.

Addressing the Summit via videoconferencing, Russia President Vladimir Putin said: "The RDIF has reached agreements with its Brazilian and Indian partners on conducting clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine. It has also reached an agreement with pharmaceutical companies in China and India to launch production of the vaccine in these countries not just to cover their needs, but for third countries as well."

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for the production and promotion of the vaccine, has entered into a partnership with India’s Dr Reddy’s Laboratories for clinical trials. Besides, another Hyderabad-based company Hetero Biopharma recently partnered with the Russian agency to produce 10 crore Sputnik V doses per annum.

Prof Venkat Raman believes that the positivity the Sputnik vaccine has brought within the BRICS would help in easing the current tensions between India and China and boost partnerships between pharmaceutical companies of both the countries.

“By the nature of a non-controversial kind of a thing, partnerships in the health sector make it a good starter to come back to normalcy because it is a win-win situation for both. In fact, currently, there are five joint ventures between Indian pharma companies and Chinese players and once the COVID subsides we will see many more such joint ventures,” Prof Venkat Raman concluded.