The leader of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine program says the shot won’t be available in the US or UK any time soon

The leader of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine program says the shot won’t be available in the US or UK any time soon

Russia's coronavirus vaccine is highly effective, but it won't be available in the US or UK any time soon, a top Russian official told Insider.

Applying for regulatory approval in the US and UK isn't a priority, a leader of Russia's vaccine program said in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. Russia has instead struck deals to sell doses to countries that are more receptive of the vaccine, he said.

The two-dose vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V, was 91.6% effective at preventing COVID-19 in a trial of nearly 20,000 volunteers, according to interim results published Tuesday in The Lancet, a top medical journal. While the vaccine has already been authorized in more than a dozen countries, don't expect decisions anytime soon from US or British health regulators.

Going through the US regulatory process is "not frankly a priority for us," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. He added that there have not been discussions with regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration, the agency in charge of reviewing medicines.

The RDIF is one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, and has overseen and financed the development of Sputnik V. While scientists at the Gamaleya Institute in Russia developed the shot,