Sputnik Light Vaccine demonstrates 78.6-83.7% efficacy among elderly in Argentina: Study

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) has announced that the efficacy of the Russian Sputnik Light Coronavirus vaccine (single-dose vaccine). According to the real-world data collected by the Ministry of Health of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina), the Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrates 78.6-83.7% efficacy among the elderly.

Study on Sputnik Light Vaccine's efficacy on elders

According to the data from over 186,000 people aged 60-79, more than 40,000 of whom received a shot of Sputnik Light (first dose of Sputnik V) as part of the mass-scale civil vaccination program, the infection rate between 21st and 40th day from the date of receiving the first dose was only 0.446%. At the same time, the infection rate among the non-vaccinated adult population was 2.74% for a comparable period.

The following formula was used to calculate the vaccine's efficacy:

Adjusted data weighted by age, gender and a number of other parameters among groups of vaccinated and non-vaccinated subjects demonstrated comparable efficacy of the Russian vaccine - 78.6%. Positive official data of vaccination with single-dose Sputnik Light confirms the great efficacy of the vaccine and its potential for being used during the vaccination campaign in Argentina.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said, “The publication of independent data in Buenos Aires province confirms high efficacy of the Russian vaccine for senior citizens who are in a high-risk group. An efficacy level of near 83.7% is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines. As the report of the Ministry of Health of the province has demonstrated, vaccination with Sputnik Light (the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine) can significantly reduce the number of infections and hospitalizations. We plan to continue cooperating with colleagues in Argentina for further data on the use of the Russian vaccine.”

Sputnik V and Sputnik Light have a number of key advantages:

• Efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020, to March 31, 2021;
• Efficacy of Sputnik Light is 79.4% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with the single-dose vaccine from December 5, 2020, to April 15, 2021;
• Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V;
• The Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines are based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.
• Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
• The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.
• There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.
• The storage temperature of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.
• The price of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.

Sputnik Light's speedy launch likely in India

In a potential boost to the vaccination drive, there is a big possibility of a speedy launch of Russia's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik Light in India. As per ANI sources, Dr Reddy's is in talks with the Centre to bring this vaccine to the country and an application seeking regulatory approval is likely to be filed soon. Developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Sputnik Light has demonstrated the efficacy of 79.4% as compared to 91.4% for the two-shot Sputnik V.

The phase 3 clinical trial involving 7,000 people was conducted in multiple countries including Russia, the UAE and Ghana. In a statement issued after the approval of the vaccine in May, the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology stated that it had proven effective against all strains of COVID-19 and no serious adverse events were reported. While India received 30 lakh Sputnik V doses from Russia a day earlier, domestic production of this vaccine will begin in August with a target of manufacturing 850 million doses.

(Image: PTI)