Russian Scientists Defend The Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine

The developers of the Sputnik V vaccine have defended the clinical trial data they presented during August 2020, in a new letter published in The Lancet.

Published on September 18, 2020, the letter to the Lancet's editorial board, emphasized that all the data presented were obtained in ‘experiments and double-checked,’ reported the TASS news agency.

And, Denis Logunov and his letter co-authors at the Gamaleya Center promised to provide access to certain volunteers, so that all the existing issues are clarified.

In the article, the Russian researchers said that the Sputnik V vaccine ‘generated a stable humoral and cellular immune response in 100 percent of the participants of clinical trials.’

The response was in reaction to a letter published in The Lancet on September 7, 2020, by scientists from the USA, and various universities, who identified certain statistical anomalies detected in some of the experiments by the Russian scientists.

Last week, Alexander Kabanov, Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Professor of North Carolina University and Moscow State University, told TASS that criticism of scientific articles is part of a normal scientific process, "moreover, when we talk about the works of paramount social importance, like a vaccine or a drug amid the pandemic."

Kabanov ‘emphasized (to TASS) that this criticism does not mean that the researchers’ results are erroneous.’

TASS previously reported on September 9, 2020, Russian Healthcare Minister Mikhail Murashko announced that ‘Phase 3 clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine had started in Russia.'

The Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine was developed by Russia's Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology along with financial support from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

During early September, RDIF has announced vaccine licensing agreements with the countries of Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and most recently, with India. 

Sputnik V is an adenoviral-based vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Sputnik V uses a weakened virus to deliver small parts of a pathogen and stimulate an immune response. And, is a vector vaccine based on adenovirus DNA, in which the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus gene is integrated. 

Adenovirus is used as a “container” to deliver the coronavirus gene to cells, start the synthesis of the envelope proteins of the new coronavirus “introducing” the immune system to a potential enemy.

The Sputnik V vaccine (Gam-COVID-Vac) intends to reduce the time taken for the actual development of immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes COVID-19 vaccine development news.