Sputnik V: Coronavirus vaccine shows 91.4% efficacy in the third interim analysis

Sputnik V: Russian authorities on Monday released a statement stating that the interim analysis of the phase 3 trial of the coronavirus vaccine showed 91.4% efficacy.

Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V was the first vaccine to get a heads up from the Russian government for public use. In a series of trials, the efficacy of the vaccine was tested. After 21 days of administering the first dose of Sputnik V, Russian authorities said that the vaccine is 91.4% effective in treating coronavirus. The statement was released on Monday by its co-developer Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

In the statement, researchers at the Gamaleya Institute said that the results were based on data from 22,714 participants in the trial. The participants received both the "first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the third and final control of 78 confirmed cases in accordance with the Phase III clinical trials protocol," the statement said.

This helped the authorities understand the efficacy of the vaccine. As per the updates on the official website of Sputnik-V, the "advance to the third and final statistically significant representative control pint allowed for the final proof of the efficacy of the vaccine of over 90 per cent."

So far, 26,000 volunteers have been vaccinated at 29 medical centres as part of the ongoing trials in Russia.

Russia has also claimed that the efficacy of the experimental vaccine against severe cases of coronavirus was 100 per cent. The statement also went on to say that twenty severe cases were recorded in the placebo group while none were recorded in the vaccine group.

Detailing the protocol of Phase 3 clinical trials of Sputnik-V, the statement from Russia said the vaccine's interim efficacy was calculated at three statistically significant representative control points. There were- upon reaching 20, 39 and 78 cases of Covid-19 among volunteers both in the placebo and vaccine groups.

Russia' Gamaleya Centre will publish the research data corresponding to the clinical trial in the days to come.

Sputnik V was developed by the Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry. The post-registration clinical trials of the vaccine began on August 25, and the first batch was sent to different regions in the country on September 12, according to the TASS report.