MOSCOW (Sputnik), Ksenia Shakalova - Islamabad seeks to purchase more than 5 million doses of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Shafqat Ali Khan said in an interview with Sputnik, noting that the talks to localise the vaccine's production are also underway.
In April, Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed his country's readiness to purchase 5 million doses of the Russian vaccine, as well as to discuss potential local production.
"I think that, at one level, Sputnik V has become a victim of its success. I’ll tell you how: it was so successful that every country wants to buy it. So we were in a queue and the number which we ultimately plan to buy is more than five million. There are discussions going on", Khan said.
The diplomat recalled that the Pakistani Embassy in Moscow was one of the first foreign diplomatic missions to get vaccinated with Sputnik V, adding that "it works very well".
When asked about the exact figures, the ambassador said he did not know the details, as the countries' health authorities were directly negotiating the matter.
"The good news I can share with you, I think yesterday or the day before yesterday, the first one million Sputnik V vaccines arrived in Pakistan. They have landed in Pakistan. There are more going to come", Khan said, noting that it was the biggest batch to have arrived in the country.
Aside from receiving the Russian vaccine, Pakistan is also interested in producing the drug at its plants, the diplomat said.
"Some discussions [on Sputnik V production in Pakistan] are going on. But our priority right now was procurement because production takes time, the licensing, the quality control and everything. But we are very happy. This is another layer of cooperation", he noted.
With the orders starting to arrive in Pakistan, the government can focus more on local production, Khan said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - MIR-19 coronavirus medication, developed by the Russian Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA), is showing great results as the second phase of the trials is coming to its end, which will be followed by submitting a package of documents for drug registration, FMBA Department of Translational Medicine and Innovative Technologies Head Daria Kryuchko said in an interview with Sputnik.
The first phase of the trials finished in May, with the drug confirming good tolerability and complete safety, and now the second phase is underway to show MIR-19 effectiveness in people infected with the coronavirus, Kryuchko noted. No serious side effects have been registered so far, the FMBA representative assured.
"The second phase of the clinical trials is now verging to a close, after which we will submit a package of documents for registration. We have already selected two-thirds of trials participants, the medication is showing a good effect so far, and we hope this will continue," Kryuchko said.
MIR-19 is an innovative medication, which blocks the site of the coronavirus genome responsible for its replication, Kryuchko explained, also noting that the drug is inhaled through a mask.
"It is important that our scientists from the FMBA Institute of Immunology carefully selected the genome site that is the most conservative one, not susceptible to mutations," Kryuchko continued.
MIR-19 is a unique etiotropic drug that acts as an antidote to the coronavirus, it is based on the RNA interference mechanism and consists of two components, small interfering RNAs and the carrier peptide.
