MOSCOW – Health officials in Russia have approved a single-dose version of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, said the developers of the shot today.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which helped finance the jab, in a statement said “Sputnik Light” has shown “79.4% efficacy” compared with 91.6% for the two-shot Sputnik V.
The results are drawn from “data taken from 28 days after the injection was administered as part of Russia’s mass vaccination programme between December 5, 2020 and April 15, 2021”, it said.
The Russian vaccine has been approved for use in over 60 countries.
But, it has not yet been given the nod by the European Medicines Agency or the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Some Western countries have been wary of Sputnik V – named after the Soviet-era satellite – over concerns that the Kremlin will use it as a soft-power tool to advance its interests.
Moscow registered the jab last August before large-scale clinical trials, but leading medical journal The Lancet has since said it is safe, and with two doses, more than 90% effective.
A statement said the state-run Gamaleya research institute, which developed Sputnik V, and RDIF have launched third-phase trials in several countries, including Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Ghana, in February involving 7,000 people, with interim results expected this year.
It said more than 20 million individuals globally have received their first shot of Sputnik V. – AFP, May 6, 2021
