COVID-19: Clinical trials of Sputnik-V to commence in India, other countries this month

CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev, on Monday, confirmed that clinical trials of Sputnik V - Russia's COVID vaccine - will be held in September across India and other countries. Apart from India, clinical trials will also be held in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Philippines, and Brazil. Earlier, the RDIF had also affirmed that it is in close dialogue with the Indian government to manufacture the vaccine at a large level. 

"The post-registration studies involving more than 40,000 people started in Russia on August 26, before AstraZeneca has started its Phase 3 trial in the US with 30,000 participants. Clinical trials in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Philippines, India, and Brazil will begin this month. The preliminary results of the Phase 3 trial will be published in October-November 2020," ANI quoted the RDIF CEO. 

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Russia announces first COVID vaccine

President Vladimir Putin announced on August 12 that Russia's health ministry had approved the world’s first Coronavirus vaccine. The world’s first clinically registered vaccine against the novel coronavirus has been manufactured by the Gamaleya Research Institute in collaboration with the Russian Health Ministry. Putin said that his daughter had received the vaccination, adding that she had a mild temperature after she was vaccinated but it quickly went away. Russia has named its new COVID-19 vaccine after Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the erstwhile Soviet Union on October 4, 1957.

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Sputnik-V to reach public by 2021

Roman Kosarev, Correspondent with state-owned news channel Russia Today had informed that the vaccine will be available to the general public by January 1, 2021. Kosarev highlighted that vaccine will first be given to medical workers and others at the helm of the battle against the virus. 

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"Phase-3 of the clinical trial is happening now. The people who will be receiving the vaccine here in Russia will be medical workers, teachers and everyone who works closely with those infected. The vaccine - Sputnik - V will be available to the general public on January 1, 2021. Phase 3 is still taking place and it includes testing on foreign subjects. So it's not going to be tested in Russia right now," Kosarev had told Republic TV.  

READ | Russia In Talks With India, Drug Manufacturers For Sputnik-V Vaccine's Production: RDIF

(with inputs from ANI)