US-FDA's approval of mix and match COVID booster shots confirmation of efficacy of vaccine cocktail approach: RDIF

Following the decision by the US Food and Drug Administration allowing individuals to receive booster shots that are different from their first COVID-19 vaccine doses, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) reiterated that the heterologous boosting approach pioneered by the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is one of the best solutions against the pandemic.

According to the statement issued by RDIF, the mix & match approach pioneered by Sputnik V strengthens and lengthens immune response, increases vaccine efficacy against new mutations and provides flexibility to vaccination efforts worldwide.

FDA's decision to approve mixing and matching COVID booster shots in the US is yet another confirmation of the efficacy of the vaccine cocktail approach at the core of Sputnik V- the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine.

As per the statement, Sputnik V combines human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component. The heterologous boosting approach has proven to be successful against coronavirus: Sputnik V has confirmed overall efficacy of 91.4 per cent providing for creation of strong and durable immunity.

Sputnik V's efficacy against infection with the Delta variant is 83 per cent and 94 per cent against hospitalization. At present, Sputnik V has been registered in 70 countries in various parts of the world with total population of over four billion people.

As part of the global effort to join forces in the fight against the pandemic, RDIF took the lead in initiating partnerships with other vaccine producers to conduct joint mix&match studies. The world's first partnership of this kind was concluded in December 2020 with AstraZeneca aimed at conducting joint clinical trial of a combination of AstraZeneca vaccine and the first component of Sputnik V (the one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine). To date joint clinical studies between Sputnik Light and AstraZeneca are successfully ongoing in a number of countries (Argentina, Azerbaijan, Russia, UAE), demonstrating high safety and immunogenicity profile of the combination said the RDIF release.

It further stated that one-shot Sputnik Light is a highly effective vaccine when used both on a standalone basis and applied as a booster. It has been authorised in more than 15 countries with the registration process ongoing in a further 30 countries.

The latest findings by the Gamaleya Center based on data from 28,000 subjects in Moscow have demonstrated the Sputnik Light vaccine administered standalone has 70 per cent efficacy against infection from the Delta variant of coronavirus during the first three months after vaccination. The vaccine is 75 per cent effective among subjects under the age of 60.

Efficacy of one-shot Sputnik Light as a booster against Delta variant for other vaccines will be close to the efficacy against the Delta variant of the Sputnik V vaccine: over 83 per cent against infection and over 94 per cent against hospitalisation.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said: "Russia took the lead in utilizing the vaccine cocktail approach (with heterologous boosting at the core of the Sputnik V vaccine) and was also the first to offer vaccine partnerships to other producers. Clinical trials of combinations of the first component of Sputnik V (the one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine) with other vaccines are successfully ongoing around the world. Sputnik Light demonstrates strong safety and immunogenicity results in joint studies making it a universal booster and one of the best solutions for revaccinating individuals, who had been previously administered other vaccine."

( With inputs from ANI )

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