“The best in the world.”
This was how Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), described the “Sputnik V" vaccine which they co-developed with the Gamaleya National Center.
Citing the latest study published by The Lancet, Dmitriev said "Sputnik V" has a 91.6% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 cases, which makes it one of the only three vaccines with more than 90% efficacy rate alongside Moderna’s and Pfizer's.
“The results are stellar. Again, we are modest but also honest. 'Sputnik V' is clearly the best vaccine in the world because not only that it has an efficacy of more than 90% but it can also be stored at +2 or +8 degrees temperature which is easy for logistics and it costs half of one-third of what American vaccines costs,” Dmitriev told CNN Philippines in an interview Wednesday night.
"Sputnik V" also works on the new COVID-19 variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa, according to Dmitriev.
“We confirmed that the vaccine works…So far, we see the same efficacy on this and other mutations and this is because of the technology which has been pioneered by Sputnik which is using two different shots for two different times,” he said.
The RDIF CEO said they are still discussing with the Philippine government with regard to the possible rollout of "Sputnik V" in the country.
Dmitriev said he hopes that they can come to an agreement with the Philippine government by February or March.
To date, "Sputnik V" has yet to receive an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
When asked about the status of their EUA application, Dmitriev said they already have all the documents requested by the FDA.
“We hope the Philippine regulator makes a decision. Of course, if there's anything else they would like to have, we can add to them," he said.
“Every day, we get one or two coutnies approving 'Sputnik V' because they see the data and the data is brilliant,” he added.