WHO Ready to Speed Up International Certification of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine, Official Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The international certification of the Russian vaccine against the coronavirus, Sputnik V, is at the stage of WHO approval and the organisation is ready to help in speeding up this process, technical officer for immunisation at WHO Regional Office for Europe, Oleg Benes, said at a briefing with Russian-language media.

"Several vaccines, including Sputnik V, are currently at the stage of assessment and submission of data… The WHO is looking forward to cooperating and provide the necessary assistance to accelerate these processes," Benes said.

In December, WHO Representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic said that the Russian vaccine's producers had submitted a certification request to the WHO headquarters.

Sputnik V was registered by the Russian Health Ministry on 11 August 2020. In addition to Russia, Sputnik V was registered by Algeria, Argentine, Belarus, Bolivia and Serbia. The vaccine is in the third phase of clinical trials in Russia, Belarus, Egypt, India, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

The vaccine's dosing regimen is two doses per patient at least 21 days apart. Interim clinical results from the late phase studies in mid-December established its efficacy at 91.4 percent and 100 percent against severe cases.