The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) has been selected as the official agent for the import and distribution of the Russian Gamaleya Institute’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
The Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% effective against severe and moderate disease, according to an interim analysis of the vaccine's Phase 3 trial results.
The preliminary findings were published in The Lancet on Tuesday and are based on data gathered from 19,866 participants, of which around three-quarters (14,964) received two doses of the vaccine and a quarter (4,902) were given a placebo.
Sixteen cases of symptomatic COVID-19 were confirmed in the vaccine group 21 days after participants received the first vaccine dose. Sixty-two cases were found in the placebo group, equating to an efficacy of 91.6%.
The trial included 2,144 people over the age of 60 and a sub-analysis conducted on this group revealed the vaccine was well-tolerated and had a similar efficacy of 91.8%. The team also analysed the efficacy of the vaccine against severe and moderate Covid-19 disease and 21 days after the first dose no severe or moderate cases were reported in the vaccinated group, while 20 were reported in the placebo group.
Serious adverse events were also rare and none were considered to be associated with vaccination. The majority of side-effects that were reported were mild, such as pain at the injection site, flu like symptoms, and low energy levels, according to the study.
The analysis includes only symptomatic cases of COVID-19, however, and the authors note more research is needed to understand the vaccine’s efficacy against asymptomatic COVID-19, transmission, and how long protection may last.