Moscow: The developer of Russia’s flagship vaccine against Covid-19 said it shows a 92% efficacy rate in preventing infections, as the country pushes for a top slot in the fight against the coronavirus after a rival product by Pfizer Inc. reported a similar breakthrough.
The preliminary Phase 3 findings are based on results from 20,000 volunteers who were given the first dose, including more than 16,000 who also received a second injection, its developers Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in an announcement on Twitter Wednesday.
The data is based on results 21 days after the initial injection and will be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, according to the statement.CNo unexpected adverse events have been reported and monitoring is continuing, the backers said. The trial is to include a total of 40,000 subjects, but not all have yet been vaccinated.
Efficacy was demonstrated on the basis of a first interim analysis obtained 21 days after the first injection.
— Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) November 11, 2020
The shots have also been given to health workers, teachers and officials outside the trial, with preliminary observations showing effectiveness over 90%, the Health Ministry said hours after Pfizer’s announcement this week.
Russia, which said it was the first in the world to do so when it registered Sputnik V in August, has faced skepticism from scientists and pharmaceutical companies, who say that more testing is necessary to prove the inoculation is safe and effective.
Pfizer’s vaccine candidate, developed with BioNTech SE, is at least 90% effective, according to an interim analysis published this week in what was hailed as the most encouraging scientific evidence supporting an inoculation to date.
With the world’s fifth-largest number of Covid-19 cases, Russia is also hoping to capture a share of the global market for a tool to control the pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people across the planet.
After it was approved for use, Sputnik V has faced challenges ramping up production as other inoculations globally prepare for widespread roll-out.- Bloomberg
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