AstraZeneca first announced plans to explore the possibility of
working with Russian scientists on a combined vaccine in December,
interpreted by Moscow as a vote of confidence in its vaccine.
There have been few details on where and how the trials will be run,
but R-Pharm Chairman Alexei Repik, whose company will produce both
Sputnik V and AstraZeneca shots, said human trials of a combined
vaccine are expected to begin early next month.
The trials will take place in Azerbaijan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, Belarus, Russia and elsewhere, he said.
AstraZeneca did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for
comment.
A source close to Sputnik developer Gamaleya Institute also said the
trial's first inoculations will be in early February, adding that
Ukraine will be among the countries taking part.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian the sovereign wealth fund
responsible for marketing Sputnik V abroad, has previously said that
combining the two vaccines would boost the efficacy of the
AstraZeneca shot.
Its average efficacy rate was 70.4% in interim late-stage data,
compared with more than 91.4% in trials of Sputnik V, which prompted
Russian vaccine developers to suggest an attempt to combine the two.
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Both vaccines employ two doses, an initial shot and a booster, and
are based on a similar scientific approach using common cold viruses
as vectors.
Mixing or switching between COVID-19 vaccines is largely driven by
the aim of vaccinating as many people as possible as the pandemic
rages on.
ClinicalTrials.Gov ClinicalTrials.Govct2/show/
record/NCT04684446?term=AZD1222&draw=2, a database of clinical
studies conducted around the world, gives an estimated study start
date of March 16 and primary completion date of Nov. 16.
There will be an estimated 100 participants in Phase 1-2 of the
trials. They will first receive the AstraZeneca vaccine and then the
Sputnik V shot 29 days later.
(Reporting by Polina Nikolskaya; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing
by David Goodman)
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