Sputnik V Vaccine Effective Against All Covid Variants: Study

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratory denied the reports that the commercial roll-out of vaccines is not put on hold and so far 1.95 lakh doses were administered in the hospitals across India

Hyderabad: The Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund, on Monday announced strong results of the study on neutralizing the activity of sera from individuals vaccinated with Sputnik V vaccine against new variants of SARS-CoV-2.

The company said vaccination with Sputnik V has produced protective neutralizing titers against new variants, including Alpha B.1.1.7 (first identified in the UK), Beta B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa), Gamma P.1 (first identified in Brazil), Delta B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.3 (first identified in India) and Moscow endemic variants B.1.1.141 and B.1.1.317 with mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD).

"The methodology was based on the assessment of virus-neutralizing activity (VNA) using the live virus, which provides the most reliable data and is the gold standard. It compared neutralizing activity of Sputnik V induced sera to the internationally relevant variants with the neutralizing activity to the ancestral B.1.1.1 variant. The sera were obtained from individuals after vaccination with two doses of Sputnik V," the company said.

The study methodology was described in the research paper published in a leading international journal on July 12, 2021.

Sputnik V Reaches 50 Cities & Towns: Dr Reddy's Labs

Meanwhile, Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Monday clarified that the soft launch of the Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V has not been put on hold. "Neither the ongoing soft commercial launch nor work towards its ramp-up in India have been put on hold," the Hyderabad-based company said in a statement.

The Hyderabad-based pharma major stated that the nationwide soft launch of the Russian vaccine has reached over 50 cities and towns across India. It said it will strengthen the commercial roll-out of Sputnik V in the coming weeks.

Starting initially in Hyderabad on Monday, the soft launch roll-out of Sputnik V has scaled up speedily and reached cities and towns all India. Dr Reddy's gave a list of cities and town. Dr Reddy's has partnered with major hospitals across the country for this purpose, all of whom have successfully administered Sputnik V in India, including ongoing commercial roll-out to the public, it added.

Dr Reddy's clarification came amid reports that Sputnik V second dose shortage will delay the commercial roll-out. Under the soft launch, the company has reportedly administered more than 1.95 lakh doses at hospitals across the country. The company, which was originally planning a full roll-out in mid-June, is reported to have so far received about 30 lakh first doses and 3.60 lakh second doses.

(With agency inputs)