Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has induced superior levels of Omicron-neutralising antibodies compared to Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine, according to a small preliminary laboratory study.
The Russian-Italian joint study, funded by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, compared the blood serum of people who received the two different vaccines.
It was conducted by scientists from the Spallanzani Institute in Italy and Gamaleya Institute in Moscow, which has developed the Sputnik V vaccine.
The researchers evaluated samples collected from the participants, three to six months after they receive the second dose vaccination.
In the study, people who received two doses of Sputnik V showed high levels of antibodies and were more resistant to Omicron compared to those vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine, Reuters reported.
Omicron-specific neutralising antibodies were detected in 74.2% of the people who received Sputnik vaccine, compared to 56.9% of those vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine.
RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev was quoted by the publication as saying: “Partnership of different platforms is the key, boosting with Sputnik Light will help strengthen efficacy of other vaccines in light of combined Delta and Omicron challenge.”
Sputnik V was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute in Moscow, using a technology platform of human adenoviral vectors.
Sechenov University has evaluated the vaccine in early-stage clinical trials and was first granted regulatory approval in Russia in August 2020.
In a previous study conducted by the Gamaleya Institute, a booster dose of Sputnik Light vaccine triggered high immune response against Omicron compared to two-dose Sputnik V vaccine.
Gamaleya Institute head Alexander Gintsburg said: “All the serum samples from (revaccinated) people that were tested contained the required level of virus-neutralizing antibodies in relation to the Omicron variant.”
The vaccine is currently approved in 60 countries and ranks second among the world’s Covid-19 vaccines in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators.
In December last year, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has received the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) authorisation for import and use of Sputnik V vaccine in India.