Russia authorizes use of ‘Sputnik Light,’ a one-shot Covid vaccine it says is 79% effective
- Date: 06-May-2021
- Source: CNBC
- Sector:Healthcare
- Country:UAE
Russia authorizes use of ‘Sputnik Light,’ a one-shot Covid vaccine it says is 79% effective
A woman is administered with Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at a sports arena on May 4, 2021 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.
LONDON — Russia on Thursday authorized the use of a one-shot coronavirus vaccine called "Sputnik Light," according to the country's sovereign wealth fund, a move designed to boost vaccine supplies in countries with surging infection rates.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund said Sputnik Light, a slimmed-down vaccine developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Research Institute, has an efficacy rate of 79.4% and would cost less than $10 a dose.
RDIF said the shot, the first component of the country's flagship two-dose Sputnik V vaccine, is compatible with standard vaccine storage and logistics requirements.
It claims one of the potential uses of the single-shot vaccine is for the immunization of a larger number of people in a shorter time frame, noting it can be shipped at speed to a country in the midst of an acute outbreak.
RDIF said late-stage Phase III trials involving 7,000 people were underway in Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Ghana, among other countries. Interim results were expected later this month.
Phase I and Phase II results of the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine found the shot demonstrated safety for all subjects and no