'Sputnik V' vaccine trial: 14% volunteers claim side-effects, says Russian Health Min

Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko said that one in seven volunteers who have received a dose of Coronavirus vaccine 'Sputnik V' have complained of side effects; including weakness, fever and muscle pain, according to reports.

Murashko informed to a Russian daily that more than 300 people have already received the 'Sputnik V' vaccine as part of the three-phase trial, adding that 14 percent have complained about their health. According to the minister, the side effects are predicted and usually disappear after a day or a maximum day and a half.

Meanwhile, the results of Phase 1 and 2 trials of the Russain vaccine show no serious adverse effects and a stable immune response in 100 percent of participants, according to the report published in The Lancet medical journal. The final clinical trials of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine are currently ongoing. Sputnik V was announced as the world’s first coronavirus vaccine by President Vladimir Putin on August 11.

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Phase 3 clinical trials of Sputnik V underway

More than 55,000 have applied to take part in post-registration trials, following the clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine involving 40,000 volunteers that is currently underway. The first results of the trials are expected to be published in October-November 2020.

Russia’s Sputnik V is currently being produced by three large domestic enterprises. The country plans to start delivering large volumes at the end of November-December. Russia’s Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov in August claimed that the country would produce a thousand doses of vaccine per month before the end of the year.

Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology is developing the  Sputnik V vaccine and it became the world’s first registered COVID-19 vaccine based on the human adenoviral vectors platform.

RDIF and Dr. Reddy’s confirm deal for Sputnik V vaccine

Meanwhile, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)  and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered out of India, have agreed to cooperate on clinical trials and distribution of 100 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in India.

The Russian Direct Investment inked a deal with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd on Wednesday, to conduct clinical trials and distribution of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India. Soon after the regulatory approval in India, RDIF will supply 100 million doses of the vaccine to Dr. Reddy’s laboratories.

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