Clinical trials of a combination of the Russian drug Sputnik V and a vaccine developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will start next week in Azerbaijan and the UAE, and later in Saudi Arabia. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said in an interview with the BBC television channel on Tuesday.
"We want to test whether it is possible to combine Sputnik V and AstraZeneca vaccines. We believe that this would contribute to high efficacy and help in the fight against new mutations. Clinical trials should start as early as next week in Azerbaijan and the UAE, and possibly a little later in Saudi Arabia," he said.
Dmitriev said the combination of the two vaccines is a great example of partnership. "Our vaccines stay out of politics, and we are focused on saving lives," he added.
On December 1, 2020, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Gamaleya Center, AstraZeneca and Russia's R-Pharm signed an agreement to develop and implement a clinical trial program for a combination of coronavirus vaccines.
According to the RDIF, the Sputnik V vaccine has been registered in Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Argentina, Bolivia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, the UAE, Iran, the Republic of Guinea, Tunisia and Armenia. The process of registration of Sputnik V in the territory of the European Union and the World Health Organization has been initiated.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS