Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine has not yet received EU and WHO backing

Sputnik V in vials. Image from Mos.ru via Wikipedia.

The World Health Organization spokesperson Fadéla Chaib acknowledged undisclosed issues had delayed its emergency use authorization of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.

Chaib added that the WHO was working through the issues while Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko recently said Russian officials were completing the final paperwork needed for the filing.

Meanwhile, European Union officials have accused Russian officials of delaying inspections required for E.U. authorization of the vaccine.

Russian officials returned the criticism, blaming the European Medicines Agency for delaying authorization of the Sputnik V vaccine.

A recent press release from the Russian News Agency said it had filed paperwork related to mutual recognition of COVID vaccination certificates. The country is also preparing for a visit by EMA officials as pa…

Read more
  • 0

Russia reports 91.6% efficacy for its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

Sputnik V in vials. Image from Mos.ru via Wikipedia.

The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine could be more efficacious than those from AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) or Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) based on interim trial results.

The two-dose Sputnik vaccine was 91.6% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% effective at preventing severe and moderate disease in a study involving 19,866 participants.

The data were published in The Lancet. No data, however, was available on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the vaccine’s efficacy.

By comparison, the single-dose JNJ vaccine was 57% to 72% effective at preventing moderate to severe disease, depending on the geography. The vaccine was least effective in South Africa, where 95% of infections were the result of a more-infectious variant circulating there.

AstraZeneca’s (LON:AZN) two-dose vaccine was between 62% and 90% effective, depen…

Read more
  • 0