Phase 1 and 2 trials on Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine have been completed

India is engaging closely with Russia on the Covid-19 vaccine front and has received data for the first two phases of clinical trials.

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trial data shows that the vaccine candidate triggered a strong immune response in Phases 1 and 2 of the clinical trials on 76 people, a report in The Indian Express said.

The progress and possible options are being coordinated by Secretary Department of Biotechnology Renu Swarup and Indian Ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma.

Senior officials told The Indian Express that India had earlier sought data from the Moscow-based Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. Sources, as per the report, said experts in India are looking to have a separate Phase 3 clinical trial after necessary approvals are given.

Moreover, Russia also plans to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials in various countries, including Saudi Arabia, Brazil, UAE, and the Philippines. And 20 countries, including India, have expressed interest in obtaining Sputnik V. This vaccine is expected to go into production later this month. However, Western experts have been sceptical about the Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine.

According to a study published in Lancet, Sputnik’s Phase 3 trial will involve 40,000 volunteers from different age and risk groups. They will be constantly monitored through an online application, with each dose of vaccine having its own QR code assigned to the volunteer.

Read the full report in The Indian Express