Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6% effective against coronavirus when two doses are given, according to peer-reviewed interim results from its phase three trial.
Scientists said no serious side effects were associated with having the jab, and most reported adverse events were mild, including flu-like symptoms, pain at the injection site and weakness or low energy.
Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said scientists had found Sputnik to be effective against the variant first detected in Kent, with further tests to take place on the South Africa and Brazil variants.
All trials use different criteria for what counts as an infection which can lead to variations in results for effectiveness. However, all vaccines will reduce hospitalisations and deaths
Sputnik V has been approved by 15 countries, including Argentina, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates and this number will rise to 25 by the end of next week, said Mr Dmitriev.
The EU is open to buying COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia if the jabs meet certain criteria, said the European Commission.
The funding body behind the inoculation has now said a combined two-stage dosage of the Sputnik vaccine and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine could help in the fight against coronavirus mutations.
Mr Dmitriev told the BBC: “We generally believe that two shots of different vaccines – AstraZeneca and Sputnik – may actually work better because immunity gets stronger.”
He said clinical trials to test the AstraZeneca/Sputnik theory were due to get under way.
In January, Public Health England said it did not recommend mixing COVID-19 vaccines from different suppliers.
The Russian vaccine uses a modified version of the common cold-causing adenovirus to carry genes for the coronavirus spike protein – so the body is primed to react if it encounters COVID-19.
It works in a similar way to the…
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