With Sputnik V, Russia wanted to win the race for the world's first corona vaccine.
But even a year later, there are still many questions unanswered.
Moscow - Russia made a dubious breakthrough with the Corona * vaccine Sputnik V.
A year ago, on August 11, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced: For the first time in the world, a vaccine against the coronavirus had been approved.
However, the researchers did not provide any scientific evidence for the effectiveness of the agent, which was developed in record time.
There are still unanswered questions.
What remains is a widespread distrust that Moscow has not erased to this day.
Sputnik V: Russia wanted to win the race for the corona vaccine
The Russian corona vaccine, which was named after the first space satellite Sputnik 1, is approved in 69 countries worldwide, according to the manufacturer.
States of the ex-Soviet republic as well as many countries in South America, Turkey, Iran and India inoculate Sputnik V. In Europe, however, the vaccine is not approved due to a lack of valid data.
vaccine |
Sputnik V |
Required vaccination doses |
2 |
Vaccine type |
Vector vaccine |
At the same time as the vaccine was released last year, the important third phase of testing began in Russia with tens of thousands of volunteers.
According to experts, it is only with this that it can be found out whether a product really works reliably and is safe.
Moscow's rapid action has therefore met with international criticism from researchers.
But Russia wanted to win the race for a corona vaccine.
Corona: Delay in Sputnik V approval for political reasons?
Russia also wants to gain a foothold in the lucrative market in the EU.
It is currently uncertain whether this will work.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has been testing the corona vaccine since the beginning of March 2021. Its judgment will decide whether the EU Commission will then issue the official approval for placing it on the market in the next step.
"So far, the manufacturer has not been able to provide enough valid data to prove safety," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the editorial network Germany (RND) a few days ago.
That raises questions.
+
Russia wanted to win the race for the world's first corona vaccine.
But even a year later, many questions about Sputnik V are still unanswered.
© Kalizhan Ospanov / dpa
However, there is also a suspicion that approval in the EU is being delayed for political reasons and not just because of a lack of data. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had already demanded via Bild am Sonntag at the end of May 2021 that the Sputnik V proceedings must be accelerated. "It must not be dawdled for purely ideological reasons," said the CSU politician.
In addition to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bavaria is also one of the federal states that have secured purchase options for the Russian vaccine.
Most recently, the construction of a production facility by the company R-Pharm Germany in Illertissen in the Neu-Ulm district was planned.
Russia repeatedly warns against politicizing the question of approval.
Moscow itself does not allow any foreign vaccines in its own country.
According to the Kremlin, you have enough of your own inoculants.
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Corona vaccine Sputnik V: vaccination campaign in Russia did not go smoothly
With regard to foreign business with Sputnik V, Moscow shows little transparency. In the spring, independent Russian media calculated that only a fraction of the promised doses had actually been delivered. Most recently, the sovereign wealth fund admitted delivery bottlenecks. However, these issues should be fixed this month, the fund promised. From September 2021, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute in India, is also expected to deliver over 300 million doses per year. Moscow has contracts for the production of its vaccine in 14 countries.
But the vaccination campaign in Russia did not go smoothly either. There have been reports of people having to wait for weeks in some regions. On the other hand, when the mass vaccination began in December 2020, the Moscow population was even able to get vaccinated against the corona virus in shopping centers. The rush did not materialize, however. Politicians only half-heartedly campaigned for immunization. Even Putin delayed a vaccination for months, only to be administered a vaccine without cameras until March 2021. He recently revealed that he was getting Sputnik V.
But that's not all bad headlines for the Russian vaccine: In samples of the corona vaccine Sputnik V, viruses * capable of reproduction were recently found.
They can be dangerous for certain people.
The Sputnik V vaccine, like any other vaccine, can cause side effects.
However, the manufacturer does not disclose the data.
(Helena Gries with dpa)
* hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubric lists: © Kalizhan Ospanov / dpa
