Sputnik V Russian vaccine effective against new UK mutation of Covid-19

Sputnik V the first Covid-19 vaccine registered in the world is highly effective against the new strain found in the UK and spreading across Europe, according to Russian Direct Investment Fund head CEO Kirill Dmitriev.
Dmitriev revealed that the Sputnik V Russia produced vaccine is as effective against the new mutation as it is against other existing strains. Sputnik V Russian Vaccine has repeatedly shown its effectiveness, despite previous mutations in the S-protein, Kirill Dmitriev told the press, on Monday.

AstraZeneca accepted RDIF’s proposal and will begin clinical trials of its vaccine in combination with Sputnik V’s human adenoviral vector type Ad26 by the end of 2020. This research will allow AstraZeneca’s scientists to study the possibility of boosting their vaccine’s efficacy through the application of this combined approach.

Joint work with such a pharmaceutical giant as AstraZeneca is becoming particularly important today, in light of combating the new UK mutation strains of the coronavirus Covid-19.

After multiple countries banned its flights to and fro from the UK on Monday over the fear of a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, heightening global panic, the company which developed Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine will prove “highly effective” against the new strain of the disease.

Sputnik V Russian vaccine effective against a new UK mutation of Covid-19 70% more contagious

Earlier Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Russia is following the latest information coming from British scientists, noting that any reaction would be taken by the government’s coronavirus task force.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the discovery of a new mutation of Covid-19, which he said could be up to 70% more contagious than the original strain. So far, there is no data to suggest the mutation is more deadly. Following the announcement, the UK imposed unprecedented restrictions on freedom of movement. Many countries have now cancelled flights to and from the UK.

New UK Covid-19 mutation virus spread easily Fast spreading strain 70% more contagious

About Russian Vaccine Sputnik V

Clinical trials of Sputnik V have been announced in the UAE, India, Venezuela and Belarus.

The Sputnik V vaccine’s efficacy is confirmed at 91.4% based on data analysis of the final control point of clinical trials. The Sputnik V vaccine efficacy against severe cases of coronavirus is 100%.

RDIF jointly with partners and manufacturers is ramping up the production of Sputnik V. The cost of one dose of the vaccine for international markets will be less than $10 Sputnik V is a two-dose vaccine. The lyophilized dry form of the vaccine can be stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius.

Requests for more than 1.2 billion doses of the Sputnik V vaccine came from more than 50 countries. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by RDIF’s international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries.

The vaccine is named after the first Soviet space satellite. The launch of Sputnik-1 in 1957 reinvigorated space research around the world.

Sputnik V vaccine – The Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology is the world’s leading research institution. The centre was founded in 1891 as a private laboratory. Since 1949 it bears the name of Nikolai Gamaleya, a pioneer in Russian microbiology studies.

Gamaleya studied at the laboratory of French biologist Louis Pasteur in Paris and opened the world’s second vaccination station for rabies in Russia in 1886. In the 20th century, Gamaleya as one of the heads of the centre fought epidemics of cholera, diphtheria and typhus and organized mass vaccination campaigns in the Soviet Union.

The centre runs one of the unique virus libraries in the world and has its own vaccine production facility. Since the 1980s, the specialists of the Gamaleya Center led the effort to develop a technological platform using adenoviruses, initially extracted from human adenoids.

The Gamaleya Center successfully developed and registered in 2015 two vector-based vaccines against Ebola fever using the adenovirus vector platform. Another Ebola fever vaccine was registered in 2020. The vaccines have been officially approved for use by the Russian Health Ministry. About 2,000 people in Guinea received injections of Ebola vaccine in 2017-18 as part of the Phase 3 clinical trial. Gamaleya Research Center received an international patent for Ebola vaccine.

Gamaleya Research Center used adenoviral vectors to develop vaccines against influenza and against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Both vaccines are currently in advanced stages of clinical trials.

Sputnik V Russian vaccine effective against new UK mutation of Covid-19 S-protein mutation

The Russian Direct Investment Fund announced the launch of production of Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus COVID-19 in Kazakhstan.

A validation batch was produced today at the Karaganda pharmaceutical complex. The batch will be sent for verification to the developer of the vaccine – the Gamaleya National Center. The Karaganda pharmaceutical complex is an innovative biotechnology production facility with the necessary equipment and qualified personnel, in compliance with international standards. Thus the production of the vaccine was organized in an unprecedented short period of time. RDIF and the Gamaleya Center are providing any necessary assistance to facilitate technology transfer.

The vaccine is produced under the agreement between RDIF and the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan signed on December 4, 2020. On December 13, materials required for the production of the first batch of the vaccine were delivered to Kazakhstan. At least 2 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will be produced in the country.

On December 14, RDIF and the Gamaleya Center announced the final control point data analysis of the Phase III post-registration clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine in Russia, which demonstrated the Sputnik V vaccine efficacy rate of 91.4%.

The calculation was based on the analysis of data of volunteers (n = 22 714) who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the third and final control point of 78 confirmed cases in accordance with the Phase III clinical trials protocol.

The vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy against severe coronavirus cases. There were 20 severe cases of coronavirus infection among confirmed cases in the placebo group and no severe cases in the vaccine group.

Sputnik V is among the world’s most effective and safe vaccines due to its unique technology combining two different human adenoviral vectors providing for a stronger and longer-term immune response compared to vaccines using the same component for both inoculations2.

The regimen with two different adenoviral vectors for a prime and a boost immunization is a unique and ground-breaking discovery of the Gamaleya Center scientists. It helps to completely avoid immunity to the first vector, which forms after the first inoculation and thus to raise efficacy and create long-term immunity. Among the leading COVID-19 vaccines only Sputnik V is using the two-vector technology.

Sputnik V Russian vaccine effective against new UK mutation of Covid-19
The Sputnik V vaccine has proven to be highly effective, as demonstrated by the data from the initial stages of the study that were announced earlier. It is important that at each stage the calculated vaccine efficiency rate exceeded 90%. We will definitely share the results achieved with the scientific community and will be happy to discuss them with all interested colleagues. Monitoring of participants’ condition will continue, said Denis Logunov Gamaleya Center Deputy Director.