Russia: We are confident in our vaccine and bear a share of the legal risks

The head of the government fund that funds the Russian COVID-19 vaccine project told Reuters that Russia is so confident in the success of its vaccine that it will bear some of the legal risks if things go wrong rather than requiring buyers to accept full responsibility.

This decision makes those who develop the vaccine with the support of the state subject to huge compensation demands if any unforeseen side effects appear.

The many institutions working to develop vaccines have sought to avoid this situation by requesting that the procuring countries assume full responsibility for any compensation.

This approach differs from that applied in many regions of the world.

In the United States, for example, responsibility for vaccinations for Covid 19 has shifted entirely to the US government.

This protects the vaccine developers because vaccination on a large scale against the disease is in the interest of society.

With the intensification of the global race to reach the vaccine and the conduct of human trials with dozens of candidate vaccines, supporters of the Russian "Sputnik-5" vaccine see legal responsibility as a major battleground in their quest to capture market share.

"Russia is so confident in its vaccine that it did not ask for a full guarantee, and this is a different factor in front of any Western vaccine," said Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Russian sovereign wealth fund that supports the vaccine, adding that all Western companies sought protection from any claims for compensation.

He did not give details about the legal liability terms in the contract with the Russian vaccine buyer.

His delegates said he had nothing to add.

However, the Minister of Health of the Brazilian state of Bahia, which intends to buy 50 million doses of the Russian vaccine, told Reuters that Russian parties will bear the legal risks.

Dmitriev's comments came after some scientists expressed their concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the "Sputnik-5" vaccine, after the Russian government approved it for use before testing it on a large scale in humans.

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