Russia Confident in Sputnik V WHO Approval

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Mikhail Murashko, Russian Minister of Health, expressed confidence in the approval of Russia's domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' by the World Health Organization (WHO), stating on the 2nd (local time) that "all obstacles have been removed" regarding the delay in the WHO's emergency use authorization process.

According to Russian state news agency TASS and others, Minister Murashko claimed at a press conference held immediately after a meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland, that "all issues so far have been completely resolved" concerning the emergency approval of the Sputnik V vaccine.

He emphasized, "Although administrative procedures such as document submission need to be reviewed, currently all obstacles have been removed, and no hindrances are seen in further work."

The WHO did not immediately release a statement regarding this matter.

The Russian sovereign wealth fund 'Russian Direct Investment Fund' (RDIF), which supported the development of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, announced last year that it had applied to the WHO for emergency use authorization of the Sputnik V vaccine. However, to date, the Sputnik V vaccine has not received emergency use approval from the WHO.

According to the news agency, the WHO previously inspected four of the seven Sputnik V vaccine production facilities in Russia and raised issues with one of them. The WHO inspection team reportedly found violations related to environmental protection and waste disposal regulations at the Sputnik V vaccine production plant located in Ufa, a city in the southern Ural region of Russia.

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that after the company rectifies the issues, WHO experts will conduct a re-inspection of the production facility.

Currently, seven COVID-19 vaccines have received emergency use authorization from the WHO.

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