New Delhi: The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) today announced 7 million doses of Sputnik Light booster against coronavirus have been shipped to Venezuela becoming the biggest one-time global delivery of the one-shot vaccine.
Demand for Sputnik Light is increasing as more countries are using it as a standalone vaccine and a universal booster for other vaccines, including against the latest Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Sputnik Light is based on human adenovirus serotype 26 (the first component of Sputnik V). It has already been registered in more than 20 countries as a standalone one-shot vaccine and a universal booster to other vaccines (including in Argentina, UAE, Bahrain, Philippines, and San Marino).
Recent preliminary study announced by Gamaleya Institute showed that Sputnik Light as a booster significantly increases virus-neutralizing activity against Omicron. According to Gamaleya Institute:
- Sputnik Light as a booster significantly increases virus-neutralizing activity against Omicron based on sera 2-3 months after revaccination. Virus neutralizing activity against Omicron 2-3 months after a Sputnik Light booster in this preliminary laboratory study is higher than VNA against the wild-type virus 6 months after Sputnik V vaccination. Based on these data the expected efficacy of Sputnik V with Sputnik Light booster against Omicron infection could be more than 80%, as Sputnik V showed efficacy of more than 80% against wild-type virus 6 month after vaccination.
- 100% of individuals revaccinated with Sputnik Light as a booster developed neutralizing antibodies against Omicron and demonstrated their high level 2-3 months after the revaccination.
- Sputnik Light booster is expected to provide strong protection against infection, severe disease and hospitalization by Omicron.
- Sputnik Light booster is recommended to strengthen efficacy of vaccines against Omicron. Heterologous boosting with Sputnik Light is the solution to strengthen and lengthen the quickly waning efficacy of many vaccines, including against Omicron, and extend the booster protection period.
- Sputnik V standalone also induces robust neutralizing antibody response to Omicron variant, which is further strengthened by Sputnik Light booster.
- Sputnik V elicits strong and long-lasting T-cell response, and as 80% of epitopes in the spike protein are not affected by the mutations in the Omicron variant, Sputnik V is expected to provide long-lasting protection against severe disease by Omicron. Sputnik V’s long-lasting T-cell immunity contributes to 80% efficacy against Delta on months 6-8 compared with efficacy of less than 29% demonstrated by certain mRNA vaccines after 6 months.
In Argentina, a combination of Sputnik Light with other vaccines has demonstrated its effectiveness as a universal booster inducing stronger antibody and T-cell response compared to a two-shots homologous regimen. A combination of Sputnik Light with vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna and Cansino, conducted in 5 provinces (City and Province of Buenos Aires, as well as Córdoba, La Rioja and San Luis) has demonstrated that each “vaccine cocktail” combination with Sputnik Light provided higher antibody titer on the 14th day after administering a second dose when compared to original homogenous (same vaccine as first and second dose) regimens of each of the vaccines.
Sputnik Light efficacy data:
- Sputnik Light has been proven to be safe and highly effective by real-world vaccination data. In particular, data from the Ministry of Health of Buenos Aires (Argentina) has demonstrated standalone efficacy of Sputnik Light between 78.6-83.7% among the elderly (over 40,000 people of 60-79 years old), which is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines.
- Findings by the Gamaleya Center based on data collected in Moscow have demonstrated Sputnik Light vaccine administered standalone has 70% efficacy against infection from the Delta variant of coronavirus during the first three months after vaccination. The vaccine is 75% effective among subjects under the age of 60.
- Sputnik Light and Sputnik V were developed on the basis of a safe and well-studied over 30 years technology and have not been associated with rare serious side effects as myocarditis or pericarditis.