Sputnik V can boost efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine: Russian research centre

Russian Gamaleya research institute, the developers of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine said on Thursday that AstraZeneca should try combining its experimental shot with the Russian one to boost efficacy.

Also read | Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to undergo new global trials

Adding more colour to the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, the Gamaleya research institute wrote on Twitter that, "Current full dose AstraZeneca regimen resulted in 62% efficacy. If they go for a new clinical trial, we suggest trying a regimen of combining the AZ shot with the #SputnikV human adenoviral vector shot to boost efficacy. Combining vaccines may prove important for revaccinations."

Sputnik V's comment came right after reports that AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of lower dosing regimen of its vaccine.

In August, Russia became the first country to register a COVID-19 vaccine, which was named Sputnik V. The clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya research institute, have demonstrated that its efficacy rate is over 90 per cent.

AstraZeneca has said it will have as many as 200 million doses of its vaccine by the end of 2020.

The British developed vaccine is viewed as offering one of the best hopes for many developing countries because of its cheaper price and ability to be transported at normal fridge temperatures.

With 2,187,990 infections, Russia has the fourth-largest number of Covid-19 cases in the world behind the United States, India and Brazil.

AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its vaccine, its chief executive Pascal Soriot was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News after questions were raised over the results from its late-stage study.

The British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said the main point about the AstraZeneca vaccine was that it worked when asked about these doubts.

"The headline result is the vaccine works and that's very exciting," Vallance said during a news briefing with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

(With inputs from agencies)