Russian official accuses West of coating Sputnik V vaccine

Russia accuses the West of smearing its achievements in the global race against covid-19, as its attempts to win key markets for his vaccine, Sputnik V, they face the demands of regulators.

“We understand what’s going on,” said Kirill Dmitriev, executive director of the Russian Fund for Direct Investments, which has supported the development of Sputnik V and is negotiating its international deployment, in an interview.

“It is a combination of misunderstandings, strong prejudices and very strong efforts that seek to undermine the credibility of the Russian vaccine,” he said.

Similar to China, struggling to convince other nations to try its vaccines, Russia’s drive to turn what it calls a scientific triumph into geopolitical dividends has encountered unexpected headwinds.

he President Vladimir Putin promoted his vaccine on calls with other world leaders since promoting Sputnik V as the world’s first approved vaccine against covid-19 in August. But regulators in many countries have refused to grant fast-track approval to the Russian version, despite giving the green light to US and European vaccines that have completed their initial trials.

The current competition echoes the Cold War space race that began in 1957 with the Soviet Union launching the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, namesake of the Russian vaccine. Although Moscow was the first to reach space, the United States overtook it by putting a man on the moon 12 years later.

Regulators who have demanded more data say they are only trying to ensure that the Sputnik V vaccine, which Russia approved weeks before Phase 3 studies began to show its safety and effectiveness, is also good as his supporters say.