MOSCOW (AP) – Developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Monday announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to test a combination of British drug COVID-19 outbreaks and a component of the Moscow-created vaccine.
Sputnik V developers proposed the AstraZeneca approach last month, suggesting it could increase the effectiveness of the British vaccine. The company announced a study on December 11 to test the combination, and on Monday signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Moscow medical research institution, the Gamaleya Institute, the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Russian doctor R-Pharm.
AstraZeneca developed its vaccine with Oxford University. The Gamaleya Institute developed Sputnik V, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund financed the project.
Speaking at a teleconference marking the signing of the memorandum, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed cooperation between AstraZeneca and Russian scientists, saying that “it will make it possible to make a discovery while working on vaccines and a number of other vital drugs.” “.
Studies are expected to begin “in the near future,” according to Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Russia has been widely criticized for giving regulatory approval to Sputnik V in August, after the vaccine was tested on only a few dozen people. This month, the Russian authorities began mass vaccinations with Sputnik V, even though it is still undergoing advanced studies among tens of thousands of people needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness.
Vaccine developers said study data suggested the vaccine was 91% effective, a finding based on 78 infections in nearly 23,000 participants. There are far fewer cases than Western drug manufacturers accumulated during the final testing before analyzing the effectiveness of their candidates, and important demographic and other details from the study were not published.
The latest results of the vaccine study developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University suggest that it is safe and about 70% effective. Health officials around the world hope to rely on the British vaccine due to its relatively low cost, availability and ease of use. However, questions remain about how well it can help protect those over the age of 55, a key concern given that older people are more vulnerable to COVID-19.