Moscow, May 18 2021 –The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announces the approval of the Russian single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against coronavirusby the Ministry of Health of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V. Sputnik Light demonstrated 79.4% efficacy according to analyzed data taken from 28 days after the injection was administered.
The data was obtained from Russians vaccinated with a single injection, having not received the second one for any reason during the mass vaccination program between December 5, 2020 and April 15, 2021. An efficacy level of near 80% is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines.
In January 2021, the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine was also approved for use in Venezuelaunder the emergency use authorization procedure.
To date Sputnik V has been authorized in 65 countries with total population of over 3.2 billion people.
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said:
“Authorization of Sputnik Light follows the approval of two-dose Sputnik V vaccine which is already successfully used in Venezuela to protect the population. Sputnik Light will help accelerate the vaccination and let more people feel safe against the pandemic.”
Sputnik V and Sputnik Light have a number of key advantages:
- Efficacy of Sputnik V is 97.6% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with both components of Sputnik V from December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021;
- Efficacy of Sputnik Light is 79.4% based on the analysis of data on the coronavirus infection rate among those in Russia vaccinated with the single dose vaccine from December 5, 2020 to April 15, 2021;
- Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V;
- The Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccinesare based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, which cause the common cold and have been around for thousands of years.
- Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
- The safety, efficacy and lack of negative long-term effects of adenoviral vaccines have been proven by more than 250 clinical studies over two decades.
- There are no strong allergies caused by Sputnik V.
- The storage temperature of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light at +2+8 C means it can be stored in a conventional refrigerator without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure.
- The price of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light is less than $10 per shot, making it affordable around the world.
