Prof. Nadey Hakim, a vice president at the International Academy of Medical Sciences and a professor of transplantation surgery at Imperial College London, said in an interview with Spanish news outlet ICN that vaccines are an essential tool in the global fight against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection.
Hakim asserted that the production of vaccines and their administration must be based on the best available technologies, and those vaccines must be globally available. Countries need to build a diverse vaccine portfolio, and the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, should certainly be among them, the professor added, offering that he has reviewed the data regarding Russia’s innovative first-to-market vaccine product, including publications in the Lancet, one of the leading medical journals in the world.
“It is clear that the results of clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine have been shown to be effective. And what is the most important consideration for any vaccine? The conclusion that it is safe and effective,” Hakim asserted.
According to the academic, Sputnik V inoculations have been conclusively proved using a well-established platform, one based on human adenoviral vectors and an advanced booster vaccination scheme through the use of two different adenoviruses.
He singled out Russia’s outstanding legacy of vaccination development, referring to the Russian empress, Catherine the Great, under whose rule the country’s first smallpox vaccine was produced in 1768, 30 years before US scientists arrived at a similar vaccine.
“I have also visited Russia and seen first-hand the outstanding work the country has done in the fields of science and medicine,” Hakim stated, particularly taking note that Sputnik V is likely to see vast commercial success, as several South American countries have already inked agreements to produce the vaccine locally, “and this is also happening in countries such as China, India, Brazil, Korea, and Turkey,” the professor continued, adding that these countries will then be able to export Sputnik V to neighboring nations and beyond.
Sputnik V, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and produced in cooperation with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), is the world's first registered vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus disease. The vaccine is currently in phase 3 trials. The RDIF's first deputy CEO, Anatoly Braverman, stated earlier this week that there is global interest for over 1.2 billion doses of Sputnik V.