Russia rushes Covid-19 vaccine, dismaying bioethicists
by Michael Cook | 15 Aug 2020 |
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Russia has become the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, even though it has only been tested on a few dozen people. According to AP, President Vladimir Putin declared that one of his two adult daughters had already been inoculated.
“I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity,” Putin said. “We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world.”
Scientists in other countries, and even in Russia, were aghast at the fact that the vaccine – which has been dubbed Sputkik 5 -- was being released before Phase 3 trials. “Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the race; it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger,” said Russia’s Association of Clinical Trials Organizations.
Phase 3 trials on tens of thousands of people are generally regarded as the only way to prove if an experimental vaccine is safe and effective. These take months.
While Russian officials have said large-scale production of the vaccine is not scheduled until September, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said vaccination of doctors could start as early as August. Officials say they will be closely monitored after the injections. Mass vaccination may begin as early as October.
According to The Verge, experts think that early release of a vaccine is very unwise:
“There are three major worries with releasing an unproven vaccine to the public. If the vaccine is unsafe or has severe side effects, then it could harm people, upending their lives. If the vaccine doesn’t work, then people could move through the world with a false sense of security, potentially exacerbating the spread of disease. And if either of those things happens, there’s a very serious risk that people’s distrust of vaccines will skyrocket, making it harder for public health officials to halt future disease outbreaks — not just this one.”
Some scientists accuse Russia of dangerous grandstanding. Nigel McMillan, of Griffith University, in Australia, says “This is vaccine nationalism at play (the Sputnik V name says it all) and the danger here is that if there are issues going forward with this vaccine, in terms of efficacy or safety, it will put the entire vaccine effort in a very difficult position, as people will lose trust or hope that any vaccine will work."
Michael Cook is editor of BioEdge
Russia has dashed across the finish line and seized the trophy for being the first nation to release a vaccine for Covid-19. It has been nicknamed “Sputnik 5”, recalling the Soviet Union’s glorious triumphs in the Space Race of the 1950s and 60s.
Scientists and bioethicists around the world, and even in Russia, have grave misgivings. Sputnik 5 has not even completed Phase 3 clinical trials. If the Russian vaccine is ineffective or unsafe, it could deter many people from being inoculated with an effective vaccine when it arrives.
By one of those awful coincidences which sometimes happen with new products, Sputnik 5 is being trialled at the same time as a Russian movie which is also called “Sputnik”. This, however, is a horror film about a guest which returns from outer space with an unlucky cosmonaut. It turns out to be a slithering extraterrestrial parasite which feasts on human brains. (Rated 90% on Rotten Tomatoes).
Is there a translation for Murphy’s Law?
Michael Cook
Editor, BioEdge
Scientists and bioethicists around the world, and even in Russia, have grave misgivings. Sputnik 5 has not even completed Phase 3 clinical trials. If the Russian vaccine is ineffective or unsafe, it could deter many people from being inoculated with an effective vaccine when it arrives.
By one of those awful coincidences which sometimes happen with new products, Sputnik 5 is being trialled at the same time as a Russian movie which is also called “Sputnik”. This, however, is a horror film about a guest which returns from outer space with an unlucky cosmonaut. It turns out to be a slithering extraterrestrial parasite which feasts on human brains. (Rated 90% on Rotten Tomatoes).
Is there a translation for Murphy’s Law?
Michael Cook
Editor, BioEdge
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