Vaccine glasnost: Sputnik trials shows Russian-developed candidate is safe and effective

Concerns about corner cutting and safety of a Russian-developed Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik, are unfounded according to leading experts.

Publishing a comment in the Lancet to coincide with the launch of phase three clinical trial data, Professor Ian Jones from the University of Reading and Prof Polly Roy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine comment on the quality and validity of the data.

The leading virologists also address concerns about the development of the vaccine in Russia, noting that the publication of the latest phase three trial data demonstrates that the vaccine should be welcomed in efforts to treat the global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.

They write:

“The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticised for unseemly haste, corner cutting, and an absence of transparency.11 But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination is demonstrated, which means another vaccine can now join the fight to reduce the incidence of COVID-19.”

The full comment piece is available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(21)00191-4