Europe warms to Russian vaccine after positive trial results

PARIS • Final-stage trial results placed Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on a par with its Western rivals, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced openness to its use in the European Union once it receives the regulatory nod.

Sputnik V, which has already been rolled out in Russia and several other countries, was found to be 91.6 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid-19 cases in trial results published on Tuesday by The Lancet, a leading medical journal.

"There are no arguments left for critics of this vaccine, the article in The Lancet is a checkmate," said Mr Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which was part of Sputnik V's development.

Dr Merkel, responding to the report, said all vaccines are welcome in the EU, which is facing growing anger over a sluggish start to its inoculation campaign.

She made the remarks in a televised interview with the German public broadcast ARD programme, Farbe bekennen.

"Serbia is vaccinating faster. Serbia is vaccinating with the Chinese vaccine. We have always said that every vaccine trying to obtain approval from the European Medicines Agency is very welcome," Dr Merkel said.

"I have spoken to the Russian President about this (Sputnik V). Today, we read good data from the Russian vaccine," she said, referring to Mr Vladimir Putin.

Dr Merkel affirmed that by the end of summer, everyone in Germany could get at least the first of the two necessary vaccinations. So far, nothing has gone wrong with the national vaccination campaign.

Dr Merkel also said citizens could expect a relaxation of measures before everyone is vaccinated, but urged everyone to stick to safe distancing rules and be careful.

Asked about Sputnik V, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that a few weeks ago, he had sent a scientific mission to Russia and the exchanges were positive.

Whether the European and national authorities approve a vaccine "is not a political decision but a scientific decision", he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is working to increase production of its homemade Sputnik V vaccine in foreign countries.

"In the very near future, there are plans to establish production in foreign countries, which will satisfy the demand from more and more countries," he told reporters a day after The Lancet published the efficacy results.

Meanwhile, Uniao Quimica, the Brazilian pharmaceutical firm that will make the Sputnik V vaccine, expects regulatory approval for phase three tests by this week or early next week at the latest, its chief executive Fernando Marques said.

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said publication of the results in The Lancet was good news, but it still needed to see complete data from phase one through three clinical trials.

Mexican health regulator Cofepris also authorised Sputnik V for emergency use after signing a contract for millions of doses of the product.

In India, pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy's Laboratories said it will seek emergency-use authorisation for Sputnik V by next month, while a source said the application could come within days, and when approved, bolster India's new immunisation campaign.

XINHUA, REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE