In an interesting show of cross-country collaboration, British company AstraZeneca (AZ) will use one of the two components in the Russian vaccine Sputnik V in additional trials of its own vaccine. These trials will commence before the end of the year, a note from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said.
Late last month, the RDIF and the Gamaleya Institute offered AZ the use of one of the two components (human adenoviral vectors) in Sputnik V for AZ’s clinical trials, a note from Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said.
AZ accepted RDIF’s proposal and will begin clinical trials of its vaccine in combination with Sputnik V’s human adenoviral vector type Ad26 by the end of 2020, the note explained. “This research will allow AZ’s scientists to study the possibility of boosting their vaccine’s efficacy through the application of this combined approach,” it added.
‘Sensible move’
“It is a sensible thing to do,” says vaccine expert Vipin Vashishtha, as all Covid-19 vaccines may not achieve the desired results. “In viral vector vaccines, selection of an appropriate vector is a must. There is no harm in retesting their vaccine with a different viral vector or even using a different vaccine to boost their vaccine’s immunogenicity,” he told BusinessLine .
Kirill Dmitriev, Chief Executive, RDIF, said: “This unique example of cooperation between scientists from different countries in jointly fighting coronavirus will play a decisive role in achieving a final victory over the pandemic globally. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is already saving people’s lives in Russia today through a large-scale vaccination programme. The decision by AstraZeneca to carry out clinical trials using one of two vectors of Sputnik V in order to increase its own vaccine’s efficacy is an important step towards uniting efforts in the fight against the pandemic.”
Hoping other vaccine producers take the cue, he said,:“We are determined to develop this partnership in the future and to start joint production after the new vaccine demonstrates its efficacy in the course of clinical trials.”