Hans Kluge: Sputnik V may be approved in early 2022 after document verification
Photo: Manaure Quintero / Reuters
The Russian vaccine “Sputnik V” can be approved as early as 2022, after checking the data on the drug. The possible timing of approval of the vaccine was named by the Director of the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO) Hans Kluge in an interview with TASS.
According to him, representatives of the WHO and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) met at the end of November to discuss the approval of Sputnik V. The organization requested additional data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Submission of these data is expected by the end of December this year, shortly after that the verification process will be completed.
“This is definitely not politics. WHO is an evidence-based organization. The vaccine approval process is the same for all manufacturers, which must meet the same criteria as everyone else, ”Kluge said when asked if the approval process for COVID-19 drugs is politicized.
Earlier, the official representative of the international organization Margaret Harris confirmed that the registration of “Sputnik V” is delayed due to the need to study another set of documents. The specialist called the allegations that an international organization licenses only Western drugs a lie.
