TEHRAN (Iran News) – Russia has produced the first batch of its new vaccine for COVID-19, Interfax quoted the Health Ministry as saying on Saturday, hours after the ministry reported the start of manufacturing.
The vaccine has been named “Sputnik V” in homage to the world’s first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, Reuters reported.
President Vladimir Putin has assured the public that it is safe, adding that one of his daughters had taken it as a volunteer and felt good afterward.
Some scientists said they fear that with this fast regulatory approval Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety amid the global race to develop a vaccine against the disease.
The country has said the vaccine, the first batch for the coronavirus to go into production, will be rolled out by the end of this month.
Moscow’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which developed the vaccine, said previously that Russia would be producing about five million doses a month by December-January, Interfax said.
Its approval comes before trials that would normally involve thousands of participants, commonly known as Phase III. Such trials are usually considered essential precursors for a vaccine to secure regulatory approval.
Russia on Wednesday rejected as “groundless” safety concerns aired by some experts over Moscow’s rapid approval of the drug.
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
