Russia registered Sputnik V ahead of large-scale clinical trials last August (File)
Moscow:
Supporters of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V said on Monday that the jab is effective against the new ‘Omicron’ coronavirus variant, but they were also developing a customized booster.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which supported development of the vaccine by the state-run Gamalya Center, said the center has begun developing a new version of the Sputnik vaccine adapted for “Omicron.”
“If such modifications are not required, the new Sputnik ‘Omicron’ variant could be ready for mass production in 45 days,” the RDIF said in a statement.
“Several hundred million Sputnik ‘Omicron’ boosters could already be made available in international markets by February 20, 2022, with over 3 billion doses available in 2022.”
US pharmaceutical company Moderna said on Friday it promises it will develop a booster shot against the highly mutated strain of the coronavirus, which is more permeable than the flagship Delta version.
Germany’s BioNtech and US drugmaker Pfizer said the same day they expect data to show “in the latest two weeks” whether their jab can be adjusted.
Last week the RDIF said that Sputnik V confers greater immunity against the coronavirus than Western jabs using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.
It states that the Sputnik vaccine is 80 percent effective against the coronavirus between six and eight months after the second dose.
No independent study has confirmed the claim.
Russia registered Sputnik V last August ahead of large-scale clinical trials, sparking concern among experts over the fast-tracked process.
But a report published by leading medical journal The Lancet declared it safe and more than 90 percent effective.
The RDIF says its two-dose vaccine has been approved in 71 countries and has applied for registration in the European Union.
Earlier this summer several Latin American countries that have relied on Russian vaccines to protect their populations complained to Moscow about delays in delivery.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
,