The Russian Embassy in the Philippines on Thursday vouched for the safety and efficacy of their Sputnik V vaccine for Covid-19 and vowed full cooperation with the government for its application for emergency use authorization (EUA).
During a hearing of the House Committee on People’s Participation, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Federation Embassy Vladlen Epifanov said the Russian vaccine has gained widespread approval.
He said Sputnik V is now being used to inoculate citizens in 29 countries all over the world and is now being manufactured in several countries like India, Brazil and South Korea through the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to ensure sufficient production.
Epifanov said the Philippines may avail of the RDIF to enable at least one-third to one-half of its population to be inoculated for Covid-19 using Sputnik V.
If approved this February, he added, the first doses will be made available as early as April this year.
“The results of the clinical trial Phase 3 conducted last year showed its very high safety and efficacy rate which has been recognized by the very respectable British Lancet medical journal. As far as its efficacy, it goes up to 91.6 percent and volunteers of 60 [years of age] and up is a little bit higher [at] 91.8 percent. 98 percent of those vaccinated developed good immune response,” Epifanov mentioned.
The House panel, chaired by San Jose Del Monte Bulacan Rep. Florida Robes, has been conducting a series of meetings on the development of vaccine for Covid-19 since last year when Russia approved Sputnik, the first vaccine approved against Covid-19, to facilitate efforts to bring it to the Philippines.
Epifanov added that the Sputnik V has neither side effects nor trigger allergic reactions and even provides immunity to the new more aggressive strains of Covid-19.
For his part, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo said they are just awaiting for the several authorization documents from Gamaleya Research Institute, manufacturer of Sputnik V, before they could stamp their approval to its EUA application.
He said they need the authorization of its local agents to sign papers on behalf of Gamaleya and the Good Manufacturing Practice certification to assure the consistency of the product. He said a Philippine team is ready to go to Russia to conduct an inspection of the Gamaleya factory in Russia.
Domingo added that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) vaccine panel is also conducting some fine-tuning on whether the vaccine, which uses the adenovirus 5 as vectors as expressions for the severe Covid-19 protein, may have lower efficacy since many Filipinos have become infected with adenovirus 5 in the past.
“The DOST would want to know since many Filipinos have had this adenovirus 5 and whether we already have antibodies to it because it is possible that if Filipinos have it, the efficacy will be lowered. But its efficacy is still very high at 90 percent and above. There is just fine-tuning,” he explained.
Epifanov, for his part, vowed to facilitate the visa applications of those scheduled to go to Russia for the inspection, as well as other documentations needed to secure Sputnik V’s EUA approval the soonest possible time.
Meanwhile, Robes expressed her gratitude to the FDA and the Russian Embassy for their active participation in the meeting as he noted their commitment to fast track efforts not only to decide on the application of Sputnik V but other vaccines as well.
“We are favored with the readiness of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and the Russian government in general, to start the Russian coronavirus vaccine supplies to the Philippines immediately after the national regulator gives its approval for emergency use. Undeniably, the success of the Covid-19 vaccination program in the Philippines is also hinged on the stockpile of countries and companies at the forefront of developing the vaccines,” Robes said.
Image credits: AP