Sputnik V showed an efficacy of 91.6%, which validated the developers’ claims last year.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg
The Russian Sputnik V vaccine provided strong protection against Covid-19 in an interim analysis of an advanced clinical trial, while its supporters said it appears to work against new strains of the virus.
The vaccine was well tolerated and also worked in the elderly, according to the peer-reviewed findings, published Tuesday in the medical journal The Lancet. Sputnik V showed 91.6% efficacy, validating claims from the developers last year.
The findings confirm the vaccine’s credibility after it was accused of being urgently marketed before critical scientific data was available. Sputnik V is approved for use in 16 countries from Argentina to Iran.
“The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticized for its inappropriate haste,” said Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading, England, in an accompanying note in The Lancet. “But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination has been demonstrated, meaning that another vaccine can now participate in the fight to reduce the incidence of Covid-19.”
While the results are not definitive, the vaccine joins only a handful of others, including those developed by Moderna Inc., AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE show it works in an advanced clinical trial. It differs from the others in that the two doses respond to different viral vectors, which gives it an advantage over new strains, said Kirill Dmitriev, the head of co-developer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
“We have no doubt that the vaccine will be approved by the World Health Organization,” Dmitriev said in an interview. “It has high efficiency and is one of the most accessible because of the price and convenience of logistics and storage.”
The developers last met with the Geneva-based public health organization on January 22 to discuss their application, and no timetable for approval has been given. The vaccine has not yet been submitted to Western regulators for evaluation.
Initial tests by RDIF’s partner, the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, show that the vaccine remains effective against new strains of Covid-19, according to Dmitriev.
How vaccine nationalism flares up over scarce supplies: QuickTake
South African and UK variants of Covid-19 appear to be more transmissible than the original virus and have raised concerns that they could affect the effectiveness of existing vaccines or booster dose.
Dmitriev said tests of a combination of AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines will start next week, with the first trials in Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates. The mix may prove to be more effective against new species, he said. RDIF plans to offer its vaccination as a second dose to manufacturers who have vaccines with less than 90% efficacy.
Complete protection
The vaccine provided complete protection against severe cases of Covid-19, while showing almost the same efficacy for volunteers over 60 years old, according to the published data. Dmitriev said researchers are preparing to study its use for children as well.
The peer-reviewed publication could help Russia’s efforts to vaccinate 60% of the adult population in the first half of the year after a slow first rollout. The homegrown shot has had doubts at home. According to a December 21-23 poll conducted by the Levada Center, only 38% of Russians are ready to ingest Sputnik V.
Many vaccination centers in Moscow, where the campaign is largest, are not operating at full speed, even after Vladimir Putin ordered universal access to the vaccination in mid-January. The Russian president has not yet said when he will be vaccinated.
Sputnik V should protect against Covid-19 for more than a year and, according to Dmitriev, can be used again for revaccination. He said he took a booster shot seven months after his first injection to test his cellular immune response, which was producing antibodies more quickly than after his first vaccination.