Sputnik V attacked, Moscow defends itself
A dose of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. AP - Pavel Golovkin
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The designers of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V are asking for an apology after criticism from the president of the board of directors of the European Medicines Agency.
As Amsterdam-based EMA reviews Sputnik V for clearance, Christa Wirthumer-Hoche has advised Austria against urgently approving the Russian vaccine as Hungary and the United Kingdom have already done. Slovakia, which caused an uproar in Moscow.
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"
It's a little comparable to Russian roulette
": this is how Christa Wirthumer-Hoche described a possible emergency authorization of the Russian vaccine on the Austrian television channel ORF, Sunday evening.
“
We need documents that we can review.
At this time, we have no data on side effects for people who have been vaccinated.
We are in the unknown
”.
These statements by the president of the board of directors of the European Medicines Agency were very badly received in Moscow.
The creators of the vaccine, (the Gamaleia State Research Center and the Russian Sovereign Fund, RDIF) are asking for an apology and claiming that the required documents have been sent to the EAJ.
Condemnation also on the side of the Kremlin, by the voice of its spokesperson Dmitry Peskov
“
We believe that these heartbreaking comments are, at the very least, wrong.
Vaccination campaigns in many countries around the world prove the relevance and popularity of this vaccine
”.
Dmitry Peskov also denounces as "
absurd
" statements from Washington accusing Russia of leading a campaign of "
disinformation
" against American vaccines.
EMA did not allow such statements about any other vaccine.
Such comments are inappropriate and undermine credibility of EMA and its review process.
Vaccines and EMA should be above and beyond politics.
👇https: //t.co/9jEK54jz83
- Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 8, 2021
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