Russia’s Sputnik vaccine is safe and effective against COVID-19, according to a medical journal.
The interim results of phase 3 clinical trial of the Sputnik vaccine of the Gamaleya Institute of Russia were released on Tuesday in the medical journal The Lancet.
Based on the study, the vaccine was found to be safe and effective. According to the chief executive officer of the Russian Investment Fund, its efficacy rate is high.
“Ninety one point six percent and for people over 60 years old, it’s actually 91.8 percent. 100 percent protection against severe cases of COVID. No allergies, no anaphylactic shock that we see in other vaccines. And very good safety profile. 94 percent of all side effects were really minor,” Kirill Dmitriev proudly said.
Dmitriev added that several countries have already undergone Sputnik’s clinical trial, including the UAE, Belarus, Venezuela, and India.
This week, 12 countries will start vaccinating with it. Sputnik will no longer conduct a clinical trial in the Philippines but they are already in contact with the government on the possible importation of the vaccine by the Philippines.
Russia’s Sputnik vaccine safe, effective: medical journal
“We’re working with your regulator. We have sent them all of the information. The information was enough to approve Sputnik in 16 countries… When we talk international, we can start supplying in February, March. But the big volumes will start by May of this year on some of the existing contracts we have,” said Dmitriev.
According to the Department of Health, this is good news. However, the vaccine still needs to go through the regulatory process as experienced by Pfizer and AstraZeneca who have already obtained emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, on the other hand, said that manufacturers continue to be concerned about the impact of the emergence of new variants on vaccine products.
In November 2020, its manufacturer announced that Sputnik vaccine is 95 percent effective based on its second interim analysis of clinical trial data.
The vaccine would be administered in two doses and sold on international markets for less than $10 (around P500) but would be free for Russian citizens.