Sputnik V approval cleared post Russian Health Minister meeting with WHO chief

All obstacles preventing the certification of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus by the World Health Organization (WHO) have been removed, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said at a briefing in Geneva.

“All barriers have been lifted as of today. We do not see any obstacles for continuing our work. This was confirmed by the WHO director general,” Murashko said at a briefing in Geneva in response to a question by Russian News Agency TASS.

Murashko met WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva to discuss the procedure of including Sputnik V in the list of vaccines recommended by the global health agency for the emergency use listing to be used in fight against the coronavirus.

Following the meeting, the Russian health minister said: “The position of the Russian Federation on promoting and registering the Russian Sputnik V vaccine was heard. We have completely resolved all issues to date.”

Russia first sought WHO approval for Sputnik V in February but has not yet received an Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

The Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V is an adenoviral-based, two-part vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Produced in Russia, Sputnik V uses a weakened virus to deliver small parts of a pathogen and stimulate an immune response.

The efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine is confirmed at 91.6 per cent, the results of a Phase III clinical trial of the vaccine are published in the Lancet, one of the world's oldest and most respected medical journals, as per the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

According to the analysis of data from 3.8 million vaccinated persons in Russia Sputnik V demonstrates 97.6 per cent efficacy.

The vaccine provides 100 per cent protection against severe COVID-19.

Sputnik V vaccine is approved by 70 countries with a total population of 4 billion people - over 50 per cent of the world population. The vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by RDIF's international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries.

Last month, the World Health Organization had suspended the approval process for Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine.

A regional WHO official said the manufacturing process of the jab had not met the necessary standards.