Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Russia Claims Sputnik Vaccine Shows More Than 90% Efficacy
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, the country’s sovereign wealth fund said on Wednesday, as Moscow rushes to keep pace with Western drugmakers in the race for a shot. The initial results are only the second to be published from a late-stage human trial in the global effort to produce vaccines that could halt a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people and ravaged the world economy. (Ivanova, 11/11)
The developer of Russia’s flagship vaccine against Covid-19 said it shows a 92% efficacy rate in preventing infections, as the country pushes for a top slot in the fight against the coronavirus after a rival product by Pfizer Inc. reported a similar breakthrough. The preliminary Phase 3 findings are based on results from 20,000 volunteers who were given the first dose, including more than 16,000 who also received a second injection, its developers Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in an announcement on Twitter Wednesday. (Meyer and Kravchenko, 11/11)
Russia’s plan to roll out its coronavirus vaccine to the wider population is progressing at a slower pace than expected as policy makers encounter challenges in ramping up production. Russia in August became the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, called Sputnik V, despite skepticism in the West over the speed with which it was developed and the fact that trials were still ongoing. Moscow has since registered a second vaccine and authorities say a third could be approved next month. (Kantchev, 11/10)
Turkey is interested in producing Russia’s first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, at domestic facilities, Russia’s health ministry said on Wednesday after a phone call between the countries’ health ministers. Russia is already testing two vaccines against the virus and is on the cusp of registering a third. It is rolling out its Sputnik V vaccine for domestic use despite the fact that late-stage trials have not yet finished. (11/11)
