The Russian Ministry of Health has registered the nasal version of Sputnik V, making it the world’s first nasal vaccine against COVID-19.
This was tweeted by the Sputnik V handle, a departure from the earlier practice when all the milestones on the Russian COVID-19 vaccine were announced by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. However, following Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation) and its head are both on the United States sanctions list. However, the Russian Direct Investment Fund has said that it has never been involved in political activities.
The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was developed by the Gamalaya Institute.
A Gintsberg, head of the Gamleya Center, said the Sputnik nasal vaccine was “effective against the highly permeable #Omicron and other emerging forms not only in terms of protection against infection but also in preventing transmission”.
It is not clear whether the nasal vaccine version of Sputnik V will also come to India. Older versions of Sputnik V and Sputnik Lite (single dose vaccine) are present in India through several alliances.
Russia’s Direct Investment Fund has tie-up with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories of India to market Sputnik V in India. There are tie-ups with Serum Institute of India, Wockhardt, Morepen, Panacea Biotech, Hetero, Gland Pharma and Strides among many others – making India a major production base for Sputnik V for the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, Indian vaccine makers Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute are also developing nasal vaccines against COVID-19.
Sputnik V adoption in India has been low for reasons including raw material supply constraints. Following the Ukraine attack, industry insiders say future transactions may have payment issues, although drugs are generally kept out of the purview of sanctions.
Experts have warned that the on-going war may reduce the brightness of Sputnik Light, which is being touted as a universal booster. Recent reports said the World Health Organization’s evaluation of a vaccine for emergency use would be delayed because inspections in Russia were postponed after the attack.
Published on
April 02, 2022