One-shot Sputnik Light vaccine shows 70% efficacy against Delta variant of COVID-19: RDIF

New Delhi: The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Gamaleya Center on Wednesday said one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine demonstrates 70 percent efficacy against infection with the Delta variant of coronavirus during the first three months after vaccination.

Gamaleya Center has submitted an article analysing the efficacy of the Sputnik Light vaccine against the Delta variant to the medRxiv preprint server for health sciences, RDIF said in a statement.

The analysis was conducted based on data from 28,000 participants who had received a single dose of Sputnik Light, compared with a control group of 5.6 million individuals who were not vaccinated. The data used in the study was collected in July 2021 in Moscow, it added.

"The vaccine is more than 75 percent effective among subjects under the age of 60. Sputnik Light also provides much higher efficacy against severe disease and hospitalisations," RDIF said in a statement.

The one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine is authorised in more than 15 countries, with ongoing registration processes in another 30 countries, it added.

"The Delta variant of coronavirus is one of the most common and dangerous strains. The data analysis presented in the article by the Gamaleya Center demonstrates that Sputnik Light remains highly effective months after vaccination," Gamaleya Center Deputy Director Denis Logunov said.

The vaccine's one-shot regimen makes it a strong solution for countries with low vaccination rates. Sputnik Light can also be successfully used to maintain existing herd immunity as a booster shot, he added.

On the development, RDIF Chief Executive Officer Kirill Dmitriev said, "The efficacy results of the one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine against the Delta variant of coronavirus significantly outperform those of a number of two-shot vaccines."

Sputnik Light is safe and highly effective when used both on a standalone basis and when combined with other vaccines, he added.

"RDIF actively supports research into combinations of Sputnik Light with other vaccines and has also invited independent international researchers and scientific institutions to cooperate on real-world studies of safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines," Dmitriev said.