Mixing AstraZeneca, Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine doses shows positive result: RDIF

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), AstraZeneca and R-Pharm have announced that the combined use of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine and the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine, Sputnik Light, demonstrated high immunogenicity. “Clinical trials in Azerbaijan began in February 2021. To date 64 volunteers have been vaccinated, the enrollment of volunteers is ongoing. Preliminary data from the first 20 participants shows antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein (S-protein) elicited in 100 per cent of cases,” said RDIF.

Vaccine cocktails or using human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component was at the core of the Sputnik V development, said RDIF. It said that as Sputnik V proved successful, the RDIF initiated partnerships with other vaccine producers to conduct joint studies of a combination of Sputnik Light with other foreign vaccines.

The first partnership was signed in December 2020, with RDIF, the Gamaleya Center, AstraZeneca and R-Pharm signing a memorandum of intent aimed at conducting joint clinical trials of a combination of AstraZeneca vaccine and the first component of Sputnik V.

“The interim analysis of data has previously demonstrated a high safety profile for the combined use of the vaccines with no serious adverse events or cases of coronavirus infection after vaccination,” stated RDIF. Trials are underway in several countries including UAE and Argentina. Russia and Belarus have given regulatory approval to conduct trials.

Sputnik Light is the first component of the Sputnik V double dose vaccine. RDIF said that Sputnik Light has an efficacy level of almost 80 per cent, which is higher than many double-dose vaccines. The Gamaleya Center, additionally, said that Sputnik Light is effective against all the strains of COVID-19.

Meanwhile in India, the drug regulator has approved the study combining the Covishield vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute and Covaxin vaccine by Bharat Biotech.

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