Clinical trials of Sputnik V to begin this month in nations including India: RDIF

MOSCOW: The clinical trials of Sputnik V vaccine for Coronavirus will be held this month in several countries including India, confirmed Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Monday.

Dmitriev said that the clinical trials in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, India and Brazil will begin this month. "The post-registration studies involving more than 40,000 people started in Russia on August 26, before AstraZeneca started its Phase 3 trial in the US with 30,000 participants. Clinical trials in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, India and Brazil will begin this month. The preliminary results of the Phase 3 trial will be published in October-November 2020," said Dmitriev.

Russia was in close dialogue with the Indian government and the leading drug manufactures in the country regarding the localization of production of Sputnik V vaccine in India.

On August 11, the Sputnik V vaccine developed jointly by RDIF and the Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the world's first registered vaccine against Covid-19.

According to Russian researchers, Sputnik V is a human adenoviral vector vaccine which fights the Coronavirus disease.

"India has historically been a very important partner of Russia. India is one of the leading countries in production. Around 60 per cent of all the vaccines in the world are produced in India. We are in close dialogue with the corresponding ministries and the India government and the leading manufacturer of the country regarding localisation of production of Sputnik V vaccine in India. And we have achieved certain agreements with the leading companies," Dmitriev said earlier in response to an ANI query on the talks between India and the Russian government on Sputnik V vaccine.