The Russian pharmaceutical company R‑Pharm is investing more than 20 million euros in the Illertissen location in the Neu-Ulm district. According to site manager Ivan Semenov, production of a so-called Oxford vaccine against the coronavirus will start there in the first quarter of 2021. The capacity is designed for 500 million vaccination doses per year. The vaccine from the Neu-Ulm district is to be supplied to 35 countries, including the CIS countries — but not Germany or other EU countries. The Oxford vaccine (AZD1222) is currently in testing phase III, which is the decisive one. The plant in Illertissen may also produce the Sputnik V vaccine at a later date, Semenov told the “Südwest Presse”. It is already approved in Russia, but the testing does not yet meet international standards.