Sputnik V Might Become Significant Export Item for Russia

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Over the last year, the Sputnik V vaccine, which was authorized in Russia on August 11, 2020, has thoroughly demonstrated its quality and safety and has been licensed in 69 countries.

In Russia, 40 million doses of the injection have been distributed, and experts predict that exports of the drug will earn Russia $15 billion this year and twice that amount the next year, Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes

The vaccine’s excellent effectiveness and safety have been validated by trials in Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, and San Marino, according to Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, which created the vaccine. There were no reports of delayed adverse effects from the vaccination, such as blood clots or myocarditis.

Certain limitations were loosened during the year, and the injection is now recommended for cancer patients, pregnant women, and individuals over the age of 60. Teenagers and youngsters will soon be allowed to access it. However, the WHO and the EU are still in the process of approving the product.

Yesterday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko underlined the vaccine’s benefits, saying that it has the most efficient effects in avoiding the Delta strain, which is currently dominant in Russia and many other nations.

Its effectiveness against Delta is around 83%, while it protects against a severe course of COVID-19 by more than 95%. “The vaccination is still effective and working,” the minister said.

Sputnik V has also emerged as one of Russia’s most successful exports in the last year.

The Plekhanov Russian University of Economics assessed Sputnik V’s economic performance. “Russia supplied 31.8 times more vaccinations overseas in the first five months of 2021 than it did the previous year (the value was only $9.5 million in 2020). In export deliveries, all vaccinations were counted without distinguishing [those against] COVID-19. As a result, it should be highlighted that the Gamaleya Center’s Sputnik V vaccination against coronavirus accounts for the majority of the export.”

Because of the vaccination, there was a nearly 32-fold increase Sputnik V’s export potential, according to Anna Tsvetkova, professor of the Plekhanov University’s marketing department.