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In the middle of the race to make a Covid-19 vaccine the Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a vaccine of Coronavirus, touted as the first vaccine of the world too. The registration of the vaccine lays the ground for the mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.
The announcement came in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic which has infected more than 20 million people and killed nearly 75,000 across the world and hence crippling the economies of the world. Russia dubbed its advanced launched vaccine against Coronavirus “Sputnik V” after the Soviet satellite, the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund said, according to reports.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that finances the vaccine project, said phase 3 trials would start on 12 August, industrial production was expected from September and 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses, AFP has reported.
Further, the president has asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to keep him updated about the Covid-19 vaccine, while at the same time nothing that he knows “it works effectively” and “forms a stable immunity”, as per Russian news agencies.
As per news agency AFP, Putin said during a televised video conference call with the government of ministers, that a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered in the world for the first time. Putin further thanked everyone who was working on the development of vaccines and described it as “a very essential step for the whole world”. He hopes the country’s research body will start mass production of the Coronavirus vaccine very soon. “I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and it has passed all the required checks,” said Putin.
He accentuated that the vaccine underwent the essential tests. He also added that one of these two daughters has received a dose of the vaccine and is felling well without any health issue as per the Associated Press reports.
Putin has said that his daughter had 38 deg Celsius temperature on the day of the first vaccine injection and after that, it just dropped to just over 37 deg on the same day. After the second shot, she again had a minor increase in temperature but, then it was all over. Now, she is felling well and has a high number of antibodies.
As per the repotting of Sputnik News, the Health Ministry has said that “The two-stage injection plan aids form a lasting immunity and the experience with the vector vaccines and two-stage scheme shows that the immunity lasts for up to two years”.
WHO Spokesman said that WHO and Russian health authorities are discussing the process for possible WHO prequalification for its approved COVID-19 vaccine. The first vaccine of Russia is developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry. He also said that there are no concerns that the vaccine could possibly cause harm to the health of a person. “The particles and objects that can reproduce their own kind are the ones which are considered alive. The particles and objects which can reproduce their own type are the ones that are considered alive. The particles in question cannot multiply.
Production and Availability
Apart from Gamaleya institute’s own facility, the vaccine is actually supposed to be produced at a plant owned by the Sistema, one the biggest business group of Russia. Sistema said the facility has the ability to produce 1.5 million doses per year, and this ability was being ramped up.
For the outside region of Russia, it might still be some time before the Russian vaccine is available, a Reuters report on 11 August quoted the head of the Russia’s sovereign wealth fund as saying that request for 1 billion doses of the vaccine has been received from the other countries, the international agreements had been secured to produce 500 million doses per year. It didn’t name the countries that have shown interest in the Russian vaccine.
Will Vaccine comes to India?
There are two ways in which the Russian vaccine can be made existed in India. The CDSCO, Central Drugs Standard Control Organizations can ask Russia to perform late-phase human trials, usually both phase- 2 and phase- 3, on an Indian population. This is the common requirement for all vaccines developed outside of India. Late-phase human trials are essential because the efficacy of vaccines can differ in different population groups. It is the route being taken by the vaccine candidate being developed by Oxford University. The CDSCO currently has its go-ahead to late-phase trials on Indian Volunteers. The Oxford vaccine trials are expected to start this week.
Considering the unexpected situation right now, CDSCO is also authorized to given emergency authorization without late-phase trials. It can say that it is satisfied with the safety and efficacy data that is produced while the human trials in Russia, and considering the astonishing situation, can grant the approval for the emergency use. The drug remdesivir was currently granted similar emergency approval to be utilized as a therapeutic on the novel coronavirus patients. But this option is unlikely to be practiced with the Russian vaccine. Unlike a drug that is administered only to patients, vaccines are immunized to a huge number of people. In the case of this disease, specifically, everyone required to be vaccinated. The risks involved are much higher and also, redeliver was an already approved drug for other ailments and was just being repurposed for the treatment for novel coronavirus while the vaccine is new.
Till now, hope for good, and as per news, now vaccine has been successfully developed so the time is near when we are free with this pandemic.
