A factory in Lebanon will start producing the Sputnik V coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, a Lebanese official announced on Thursday.
“The Lebanese Arwan pharmaceutical factory will soon begin the production of the Sputnik vaccine for the internal market and the region, and the final signature has been signed with the relevant Russian authorities,” MP Bilal Abdallah said in a tweet.
“It is an exceptional achievement for the promising Lebanese pharmaceutical industry, which needs a stimulating and protective policy by the state in order to encourage investments in this vital sector,” he added.
This comes six months after caretaker Industry Minister Imad Hoballah announced that a Lebanese factory was about to start negotiations to begin producing COVID-19 vaccines in Lebanon.
The factory in question has “full readiness and capabilities,” Hoballah said at the time, stressing that Lebanon has the capacity to undertake the task as well.
More recently, Hoballah said that a contract would soon be signed to allow the local production of the Sputnik V vaccine.
As of the time of writing, 2,029,813 people have been vaccinated in Lebanon against COVID-19, including 875,981 people (12.78% of the population) who have received both doses of the vaccine.
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