The interim results of the Russian vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, were published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet on 2 February.
"One thing that I do think was really welcome was that for Sputnik V, when the Russian institute, Gamaleya, put forward the results and got them published in The Lancet. It's not equivalent to approval but it's still a really welcome step forward in terms of transparency and access, and that's certainly something that we have been encouraging and welcome," Bronnert said at an event hosted by the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce.
To be used in the United Kingdom, Sputnik V would need to be approved "by our regulator or by a regulator that is equivalent," according to the diplomat.
Neither Gamaleya nor any other Russian vaccine producer has so far applied for the UK approval, the ambassador added.
Sputnik V is a human adenoviral platform-based vaccine, registered by the Russian government on 11 August last year. More than 35 other countries have approved and began using this vaccine to date, including Hungary, San Marino, Serbia, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Algeria, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.
Interim results from Sputnik's Phase 3 clinical trials, as published in The Lancet, established its efficacy at 91.6 percent.
