"Sputnik V" vaccine: WHO and international scientists call for caution

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2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday morning that Russia has developed the first vaccine against the coronavirus. Called "Sputnik V", it would have passed "all the necessary checks" according to Vladimir Poutine and would function "fairly efficiently". The World Health Organization and international scientists call for caution.

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For a vaccine to be approved, that is to say certified compliant by the World Health Organization (WHO), it goes through “  rigorous procedures  ” according to the international institution.

To be approved by the WHO, “Sputnik V” will therefore have to go through three phases of evaluation which test the safety and efficacy of the product with clinical trials.

► See also: Coronavirus: Russia claims to have developed the "first" vaccine

From last week, the international body showed its doubts about the rigor of the procedures used by Russia.

The vaccine was then “  almost ready  ” depending on the country without however communicating the results of its study on the effectiveness of the product to the WHO. And since then, the laboratory in charge of research has still not published anything.

Without possession of official data, and after less than two months of clinical trials on humans, several British scientists are worried about Russian claims. In Berlin, the German Ministry of Health also spoke on Tuesday evening. He doesn't trust this vaccine either.

“One to two years” of study

It is difficult to ensure at this time that the vaccine which should be put into circulation on January 1, 2021 can actually be distributed, as explained by Professor Frédéric Adnet, professor of emergency medicine at the University of the Sorbonne and head of the emergency department of the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny.

You understand when you vaccinate 30,000 people, you have to wait until a certain number of patients, those who received the placebo, can develop the disease, and those who have had the vaccine never develop the disease. Studies like that in normal times, it can last one to two years.

Prof. Frédéric Adnet, professor of medicine and chief emergency doctor

Nicolas rocca

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