Russia and Astrazeneca to test combined vaccine

Developers of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnikv yesterday announced an agreement with Astrazeneca to test a combination of the British drugmaker’s Covid-19 vaccine and a component of the vaccine created in Moscow.

The developers of Sputnikv proposed the approach to Astrazeneca last month, suggesting it could increase the effectiveness of the British vaccine.

The company announced on December 11 a study to test the combination, and yesterday signed a memorandumof co-operation with

Moscow-based medical research facility the Gamaleya Institute, the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Russian drugmaker R-pharm.

This month, Russian authorities started mass vaccinations with Sputnik V, even though it is still undergoing the advanced studies amongtens of thousands of people needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness.

The vaccine’s developers said study data suggested the vaccine was 91 per cent effective, a conclusion based on 78 infectionsamongnearly 23,000 participants. That’s far fewer cases than Western drugmakers have accumulated during final testing before analysing their candidates’ efficacy, and important demographic and other details from the study have not been released.

The latest study results on the vaccine developed by Astrazeneca and Oxford University suggest it is safe and about 70 per cent effective. Health officials around the world hope to rely on the British vaccine due to comparatively low cost, availability and ease of use. However, questions remain abouthowwell it mayhelp protect those over age 55, a key concern given older individuals are more vulnerable to Covid-19.— AP