(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC is to use one of the two components of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine in clinical trials, it was announced on Friday.
Sputnik V is being developed by the Russian Gamaleya Research institute and financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The pair "offered AstraZeneca to use one of the two components (human adenoviral vectors) of the Sputnik V vaccine in AstraZeneca's clinical trials."
Cambridge, England-based Astra has accepted the proposal and will start clinical trials of its vaccine plus Sputnik's type Ad26 human adenoviral vector by 2020 end, investigating the possibility of boosting its own vaccine's efficacy using the combined approach.
A unique feature of the Russian vaccine is that is uses two different components based on human adenovirus in two separate inoculations with the aims of delivering generic material from the spike of the coronavirus into the human body.
Sputnik V's developers said: "This approach provides for a stronger and longer-term immune response compared with vaccines using the same component for both inoculations."
Russian Direct Investment Fund Chief Exec said: "The decision by AstraZeneca to carry out clinical trials using one of two vectors of Sputnik V in order to increase its own vaccine's efficacy is an important step towards uniting efforts in the fight against the pandemic. We welcome the beginning of this new stage of cooperation between vaccine producers. We are determined to develop this partnership in the future and to start joint production after the new vaccine demonstrates its efficacy in the course of clinical trials. We hope that other vaccine producers will follow our example."
Shares in Astra were down 0.2% at 8,085.00 pence in London on Friday morning.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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