Sputnik Light is universal booster shot for Covid-19 vaccines, developer says following FDA’s approval of mix & match approach

Russia’s one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine has been announced as safe to combine with the world’s anti-coronavirus jabs, including mRNA-method shots. It is promised to offer higher efficacy against the Delta variant in particular.

The so-called ‘vaccine cocktail’ approach is “one of the best solutions against the pandemic,” the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is behind the world’s first registered Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, has said. The RDIF is Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. It says the mix-and-match method not only strengthens immune response, but also increases vaccine efficacy against new mutations. 

Russia’s sovereign fund was the first to strike a partnership to conduct mix-and-match studies. In December 2020, just such a deal was agreed with AstraZeneca.

Recent research conducted in Moscow has proven that the one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine, when combined with other jabs, can boost protection against the more contagious Delta variant up to more than 83%, and help avoid hospitalization in over 94% of the cases. 

Initial results of a special study in Argentina have proved Sputnik Light to be an effective universal booster for vaccines like AstraZeneca, Sinopharm or Moderna. Combining various shots in one recipient will also expedite worldwide vaccination efforts, providing more flexibility to the process, the RDIF has pointed out.

The fund’s statement comes after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized combinations of different Covid-19 doses, allowing people to receive booster shots that are different from their initial Covid jabs. In addition to Pfizer vaccines, those developed by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson may now also be used for booster doses, the top US regulator announced on Wednesday.

A study previously published by the Lancet showed the Pfizer vaccine's effectiveness drops over time by up to 47% six months after the second dose. Its effectiveness against hospitalization and death remains at 90%.

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