Small Trial of Sputnik V, AstraZeneca Vaccination Combination Proved Safe

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The Russian Direct Investment Fund stated on Friday that trials combining a first dose of the Russias’ Sputnik V vaccine with AstraZeneca’s shot found no significant adverse effects and no additional incidences of COVID among trial volunteers.

The 50-person study began in February in Azerbaijan, according to RDIF, which is in charge of selling the Sputnik V vaccine internationally, Reuters reports.

The trial’s final details, including statistics on the immunological response induced by the combo vaccination, will be released next month, according to RDIF.

The Sputnik V and the AstraZeneca vaccines are both viral vector vaccines that require an initial dose and a booster.

These viral vector injections employ harmless engineered viruses as vehicles, or vectors, to deliver genetic material that aids the body’s immune system in developing resistance to subsequent infections.

Sputnik V’s initial dosage is based on adenovirus type 26, whereas AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, created in collaboration with Oxford University, utilizes a chimpanzee adenoviral vector.

Scientific trials pairing the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V were given the ‘thumbs up’ by Russia on Monday in five Russian facilities.