AstraZeneca to explore combination of Covid vaccine with Russian jab

(Sharecast News) - AstraZeneca was set to start testing a combination of its prospective Covid-19 vaccine and Russia's 'Sputnik V' shot, it was reported on Friday, in a bid to strengthen the efficacy of its vaccine developed in conjunction with Oxford University.
Reuters reported that Russia's sovereign RDIF fund, which funded the Sputnik V shot, said the trials would start by the end of the year.

The FTSE 100 pharmaceuticals giant did confirm in a short statement that it was considering assessing various vaccine combinations, and would shortly begin exploring the possibility with the Gamaleya Institute in Russia.

Sputnik V's developers have claimed that the jab has shown efficacy of over 90% in ongoing clinical trials, although the speed at which Russia developed and approved the vaccine, before full trials were complete, had drawn criticism.