Russia Claims "Our Vaccine Also 90% Effective" Following Pfizer Vaccine Efficacy Announcement

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] After the interim results showed that the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech has an efficacy of over 90%, Russia claimed that its domestically developed vaccine showed similar effectiveness.

According to TASS news agency on the 9th (local time), Oksana Drapkina, head of the "National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology" under the Russian Ministry of Health, told reporters that "under the Ministry of Health's directive, we are observing the efficacy of the 'Sputnik V' vaccine (developed in Russia) administered to the general public," and announced that "the observed efficacy is over 90%."

She evaluated Pfizer's vaccine efficacy announcement as "the emergence of another effective vaccine is good news for everyone."

Earlier that day, Pfizer announced that an analysis of 94 participants infected with COVID-19 during the Phase 3 clinical trial showed that their vaccine demonstrated over 90% effectiveness in preventing COVID-19.

This indicated an outstanding efficacy that exceeded experts' expectations.

According to CNBC, scientists had been expecting a COVID-19 vaccine with at least 75% efficacy.

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had previously stated that a vaccine with about 50-60% efficacy would be acceptable.

The Russian government had earlier, on August 11, approved the Sputnik V vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology under the Ministry of Health, becoming the first in the world to do so, and heavily promoted the achievements of its domestic experts.

However, unlike the usual vaccine development process, Sputnik V skipped the Phase 3 clinical trial and received national approval immediately after Phases 1 and 2, raising concerns about its efficacy and safety.

Subsequently, Russia published the Phase 1 and 2 results in the prestigious international medical journal The Lancet, emphasizing that "two clinical trials conducted in June and July this year confirmed antibody formation in all participants and no serious side effects."

Since September, Russia has started vaccinating high-risk groups such as medical personnel and teachers, while simultaneously conducting a 'post-registration study' equivalent to a Phase 3 trial on about 40,000 Moscow residents.

Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Center, stated on the 7th that the production and supply of vaccines by Russian pharmaceutical companies are continuously increasing, and introduced that "mass vaccination will begin in Moscow and Moscow Oblast within the next two weeks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.