Sputnik V, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Russia, was found to be 91.6% effective in preventing people from acquiring the novel coronavirus disease, as per the peer-reviewed results from its late-stage clinical trial.
This means another effective vaccine, which comes as a two-dose regimen, can now be used by countries to curb COVID-19 infections that spread at a breakneck speed.
The review was published in The Lancet international medical journal on Tuesday.
According to a report by Reuters, the late-stage trial results was collated by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow that developed and tested the vaccine.
“The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticized for unseemly haste, corner cutting, and an absence of transparency,” Professor Ian Jones of the University of Reading and Professor Polly Roy, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a comment shared by The Lancet.
“But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination is demonstrated,” said the scientists, who were not involved in the study.
The late-stage trial involved 19,866 volunteers, of whom a quarter received a placebo. Of this number, some 2,144 are aged 60 and above.
The peer-review further revealed that the vaccine is 91.8% for the elderly. It noted that there were no serious side-effects reported among this cohort.
Sputnik V has been approved by 15 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, and Hungary.
