Russia says Sputnik V vaccine 95% effective, single dose to cost ₹740, free for Russian citizens
A second interim analysis of clinical trial data has found Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to be 95 per cent effective, its developers said Tuesday. Rusia's health ministry, the state-run Gamaleya research centre and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said the calculations were based on preliminary data obtained 42 days after the first dose.
The company said that the efficacy of the vaccine is 91.4 per cent, based on the analysis of data obtained 28 days after administering the first dose (seven days after the second dose). The calculation, it said, was based on the analysis of data on volunteers who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the second control point in accordance with the clinical trial protocol. Preliminary data from volunteers obtained 42 days after the first dose (corresponds with 21 days after the second dose) indicates an efficacy of the vaccine above 95 per cent, the company said in its statement. The company said that the cost of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine will be less than $10, which totals to approximately Rs 740 for global markets.
READ MORE: Russia's Sputnik V to cost lower than Pfizer, Moderna's Covid vax
According to the statement, two-shot coronavirus vaccine will cost less than $20 per person on international markets and will be free of charge for Russian citizens. The company said there were no unexpected adverse events during the trials. Meanwhile, monitoring of the participants is ongoing. Earlier on Tuesday, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund said that the vaccine would be priced significantly lower than other rivals with similar efficacy levels.
As of November 24, more than 22,000 volunteers were vaccinated with the first dose and more than 19,000 volunteers with the first and the second dose of the vaccine at 29 medical centers in Russia as part of the ongoing clinical trials. Currently Phase III clinical trials are underway in Belarus, the UAE, Venezuela and other countries, as well as Phase II-III in India.
Earlier on August 11, Russia became the world's first country to register a coronavirus vaccine, called Sputnik V. The vaccine is being developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute, while the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is investing in the production and promotion of the vaccine abroad. President Putin had said that Sputnik V works "quite effectively" and forms a "stable immunity" against the deadly disease. He had disclosed that one of his daughters had tested a Russian COVID-19 vaccine on herself and that she is feeling well. Sputnik V vaccine was found to be 92 per cent effective in the interim trial results.
The vaccine was named Sputnik-V with reference to the surprise 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union. Another Russian vaccine, EpiCoronaVac, produced by Vector Research Centre, was registered in October.
READ MORE: Coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V can be produced in India and China, says Putin during BRICS Summit
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