Following criticism last year for its early launch, the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 and 100% effective against severe and moderate diseases, according to an interim analysis of the results of the phase 3 study of the vaccine.
Preliminary findings were published in The Lancet on Tuesday and are based on data collected from 19,866 participants, of whom about three-quarters (14,964) received two doses of vaccine and a quarter (4,902) received a placebo.
Sixteen cases of symptomatic Covid-19 were confirmed in the vaccine group 21 days after participants received the first dose of vaccine. Sixty-two cases were found in the placebo group – equivalent to 91.6% efficacy.
The study included 2,144 people over the age of 60 and a sub-analysis of this group showed that the vaccine was well tolerated and had a similar efficacy of 91.8%.
The team also looked at the effectiveness of the vaccine against severe and moderate Covid-19 disease, and no severe or moderate cases were reported in the vaccinated group 21 days after the first dose, while 20 were reported in the placebo group.
Serious adverse events were also rare and none were considered to be associated with vaccination. Most of the side effects reported were mild, such as pain at the injection site, flu-like symptoms and low energy levels, according to the study.
The analysis includes only symptomatic cases of Covid-19, however, and the authors note that more research is needed to understand the efficacy of the asymptomatic Covid-19 vaccine, its transmission, and how long the protection can last.
Most of the study participants were also white, so further research is needed to confirm the results of other ethics groups. The process is also ongoing and aims to include a total of 40,000 participants.
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