Hope from US vaccine as Russia defies the doubters
AN AMERICAN Covid vaccine has provoked a strong immune response, promising early results have shown.
The claim comes as Russia ignored experts urging for more testing, after President Vladimir Putin this week said his country’s Sputnik V jab was ready for use.
A Pfizer clinical trial of 45 adults aged 18-55 found those who received the US’s BNT162b1 all developed antibodies within three weeks.
Levels of the neutralising antibodies detected were 1.9 to 4.6 times higher than those of former Covid-19 patients, depending on dose level.
Scientists said the results were encouraging but larger phase three trials will be needed to show if it works.
Kathrin Jansen, at manufacturer Pfizer, said:
“We are encouraged by the overall advancement of the programme and look forward to generating additional data from our ongoing studies.”
An interim report was published in journal Nature.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine may have been tested on just 38 people over 42 days, said news agency Fontanka.
It said a registration document said the protective capacity and duration of protection were “unknown”.
The vaccine also had side effects including swelling, pain and hyperthermia – high body temperature.
The Moscow-based Association of Clinical Trials Organisations has urged officials to postpone approval, claiming the decision on mass vaccination was premature.
But Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko said: “It seems our foreign colleagues are sensing the specific competitive advantages of the Russian drug and are trying to express opinions that are absolutely groundless.”