Effectiveness for reputation: why is the ASTRAZENECA Vaccine "Sputnik V" and who will benefit from this

Astrazeneca has accepted a proposal for cooperation from the developers of the Vaccine from the Coronavirus "Sputnik V" and will launch clinical studies of the combination of its and Russian product. For ASTRAZENECA, this is an opportunity to make the vaccine more efficiently, and for “satellite V” to confirm that the Russian vaccine is working. It is not surprising that the combination is made with an sight to foreign markets, the path to Russia is the Astrazeneca vaccine so far closed, the sources of The Bell say.

Why ASTRAZENECA Russian vaccine

The AZD1222 vaccine, developed by Astrazeneca, together with the University of Oxford, and "satellite V" belong to the same type. Both are created on the basis of adenovirus vectors, in which the genetic material of the spike-shaped protein of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus is built, the British company explained. Therefore, they can be combined.

One of the problems of adenovirus vaccines is the existing immunity to the vector, which does not allow an effective immune response to form. The combination of different vectors is able to level this drawback, increase the availability of drugs and give doctors alternative approaches to coronavirus prevention, the British company reports .

The ASTRAZENECA vaccine is now not effective enough, it can be fixed at the expense of the second component that will be taken from the Russian “satellite V”, confirms the head of the center named after Gamaley Alexander Ginzburg. “They have a problem - insufficiently high efficiency in the epidopy. Obviously, it must be raised using the second component, two -time vaccination must be done, ”he said. The “satellite V” is based on two different adenovirus, one of them is Astrazeneca and wants to use it to enhance.

At the end of November, Astrazeneca reported on the 70%average efficiency of its coronavirus vaccine. The indicator was calculated based on tests in two different groups. In one, volunteers first received half a doses of the drug, and a month later - complete. In this group, the effectiveness of the vaccine reached 90%. The other subjects were both times at the full dose, the effectiveness was 62%.

After these results, the creators of the Russian vaccine offered Astrazeneca joint trials. “Sputnik V” will be happy to share one of his two adenovirus vectors of a person in order to increase the effectiveness of the Astrazeneca vaccine, ”the developers said on Twitter.

In what format will research be held, the supervisor of the “satellite V” of the RDIP, he promised to tell next week. But, most likely, they will not be carried out in Russia, said the head of the RDPI Kirill Dmitriev. “Such a combined vaccine will be used in foreign markets,” he added.

Why is the RDIP ASTRAZENECA

“Satellite V” shows high efficiency in itself and can work with other vaccines, but the RDIP welcomes cooperation of vaccines manufacturers and future joint production, says Dmitriev.

Combining with ASTRAZENECA does not bear the scientific meaning for the "satellite V", said Milena Izmirlyeva, director of the medical and biological studies of the IHS Markit International Expert Company. Designed by the center named after Gamalei vaccine already combines two different vectors of human adenovirus, which gives it an advantage over vaccines with one vector, the expert explained.

But from the reputation point of view, the benefit of cooperation between the developers of the Sputnik V with Astrazeneca is undeniable. ASTRAZENECA is a world pharmaceutical giant (juststrengthened the position with the purchase of American Alexander), the very fact will talk about a serious attitude towards Russian development, said Sergei Nusesov, head of the laboratory of bionanote technology, microbiology and virology of the Novosibirsk State University.

At the end of November, Bloomberg calculated that the ASTRAZENECA vaccine will be the most popular in the world by pre -orders. It is cheaper than competitors ($ 4–5 per dose) and does not require special storage conditions, unlike the same Pfizer. “Satellite V” on pre -orders only in seventh place, the cost of the Russian vaccine in international markets is $ 10. The Russian vaccine is not going to buy European countries and the USA.

The recognition of the Russian vaccine in the world should convince the Russians to be vaccinated. Judging by the surveys, there are few of them now. The Superjob online service has found that only every 11th Russian (9%) is ready to vaccinate in the near future. RIA Novosti reported that 73% of the country's residents were not ready to vaccinate.

Whether the ASTRAZENECA vaccine will appear in Russia

In the first wave of pandemia, the R-Farm company Alexei Repika entered into an agreement with Astrazeneca and received the right to manufacture the AZD1222 vaccine, the interlocutor of The Bell said on the market. The R-Farm itself promised that Russia will be a hub of production and exports of a vaccine in more than 30 countries of the world, including the Middle East, the Balkan region of the CIS. Part of the vaccines produced will export, some (which one, neither Astrazeneca nor the “P-Farm” is disclosed)-to the Russian market.

So far, tests of the Astrazeneca vaccine in Russia are postponed. The State Register of Clinical Testing states that the tests should have begun on August 21, and end on December 31 on the basis of five medical institutions, including the Medsi group. The tests never began, the interlocutors of The Bell in the pharmaceutical market say. The Bell correspondent, who called these institutions as a potential test participant, replied that they either knew nothing about them, or they offered to join the group for the test of another vaccine - Chinese.

Now the study has the status of “suspended” before the format clarification, says Repik - according to his assessment, tests may resume in December. The sources of The Bell said that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin contributed to the project’s inhibition: you must first put his vaccine on the stream, and then produce a foreign one. Regardless of the outcome of the tests in Russia, the R-Farm will be able to produce AZD1222 for export, but not for Russia, says Sergey Shulyak, general director of the pharmaceutical consulting company DSM Group.

The path of foreign vaccines to the Russian market will not be simple. Most likely, budgetary institutions in priority will have to purchase Russian vaccines, and foreign ones will only be in private clinics, the sources of The Bell say. Astrazeneca and R-Farm have a contract that will be executed, violation of international agreements is excluded, one of the interlocutors says. This contract concerns production for foreign markets, confirms another source.