The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said that the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine has been authorized for use by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) in the country for providing protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

According to the Russian sovereign wealth fund, the Sputnik V vaccine was registered under the emergency use authorization procedure with the decision driven by the findings of the phase 3 clinical trials held in Russia, which included more than 33,000 people.

Phase 3 clinical trials of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine are being held in the UAE under the watch of the MOHAP and Department of Health (DOH) of Abu Dhabi with 1,000 volunteers enrolled so far into the late-stage study.

The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), a public health provider, is handling the medical protocols of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine phase 3 trials.

Prior to the emergency authorization procedure, trials for Sputnik V were held in the UAE and were facilitated via a partnership between RDIF and Aurugulf Health Investment and Pure Health, an Abu Dhabi-based marketing and distribution partner.

Since the start of the Covid-19 vaccine trials in December 2020, a total of 1,000 volunteers were administered their first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine.

Under the same procedure, as in the UAE, the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine had been registered earlier in Algeria, Argentina, Palestine, Venezuela, Bolivia, Serbia, Paraguay, and Turkmenistan. It is also registered in Russia and Belarus.

RDIF said that supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine to the UAE will be facilitated by its global partners in India, South Korea, China, and other countries.

Kirill Dmitriev – CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund said: “The UAE is one of Russia’s key partners in the Middle East. RDIF appreciates the cooperation with UAE’s health authorities and welcomes the regulatory approval of Sputnik V. We strive to help people of UAE to get access to a safe and effective Russian vaccine against coronavirus based on a proven and well-researched platform of human adenoviral vectors.

“The decision to include Sputnik V in UAE’s national vaccine portfolio is an important step towards protecting the population with one of the best vaccines against coronavirus in the world.”

  Abu Dhabi Health Services, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Kirill Dmitriev, Novel Coronavirus, Russian Direct Investment Fund, SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2 virus, Sputnik V vaccine, UAE