Sputnik V, Astrazeneca 'mix & match' booster dose results expected by July end: RDIF

Results of Russian manufactured COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V and UK’s Astrazeneca’s 'mix and match' experiment may be released by the end of July by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), CEO  Kirill Dmitriev said at a press briefing on Tuesday. "We expect to release the results of Sputnik V and Astrazeneca mix and match by the end of July. This approach has been really pioneered by Sputnik V in the beginning,” RDIF’s CEO Dmitriev said. Furthermore, he added, that the RDIF was also considering mix and match for Covishield in India.

“We believe there will be a great result. Covishield is the same vaccine as Astrazeneca (AZ) so we believe that trials will show high efficacy. We hope that the Serum Institute of India (SII) can produce Sputnik V and mix and match as well. It will be a true partnership," Dmitriev said at a presser. 

The practice of mixing the vaccines has recently emerged due to the safety concerns in many countries, however, the World Health Organization's chief scientist warned earlier that administering two shots of different vaccines is a"dangerous trend.” Soumya Swaminathan cautioned at a live-streamed address that there was “limited data” available about the implications. "It's a little bit of a dangerous trend here. We are in a data-free, evidence-free zone as far as to mix and match,” WHO's chief scientist said. 

India to manufacture Sputnik V from September

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Serum Institute of India (SII) meanwhile have also unveiled plans to manufacture Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in India from September. Both Russia’s sovereign fund and SII plan to manufacture over 300 million doses of COVID-19 jabs in India annually. "As part of the technology transfer process, SII has already received cell and vector samples from the Gamaleya Center. With their import approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the cultivation process has begun," Dmitriev stressed in a statement issued by RDIF on July 13. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is authorised for the emergency use in nearly 67 countries. 

"RDIF is delighted to cooperate with SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. This strategic partnership is a major step to substantially increase our production capabilities demonstrating a perfect example of joining forces and expertise to save lives both in India and around the world. With technology transfer underway we expect the first batches of the vaccine to be produced jointly with SII in coming months," Dmitriev told the conference.