UAE authorises Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine: RDIF

The United Arab Emirates has authorised the Russia-developed one-shot Sputnik Light as both a standalone COVID-19 vaccine and a booster shot, Russia’s sovereign fund RDIF said on Wednesday.

BREAKING | RDIF: UAE authorizes 1-shot Sputnik Light, 1st component of #SputnikV, as a stand-alone vaccine. UAE also approved Sputnik Light as a booster shot.
More countries see Sputnik Light with its strengthening protection over time as an ideal booster. pic.twitter.com/kWT70cATnn

— Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) October 6, 2021

Sputnik Light vaccine is based on human adenovirus serotype 26 which is the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine. The single-dose vaccine has also been approved in UAE as a booster shot.

In January 2021 UAE’s regulatory authorities also authorized the two-dose Sputnik V. Both Sputnik Light and Sputnik V vaccines have been approved by MOHAP under the emergency use authorization procedure.

Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus, pioneered the heterogeneous boosting approach (“vaccine cocktail” using human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component). With this approach proving successful in creating a longer and more durable immunity against the coronavirus, RDIF took the lead in initiating partnerships with other vaccine producers to conduct joint studies on the combination of the first component of Sputnik V (Sputnik Light) with other vaccines.

Such studies are currently ongoing in UAE, as well as in Russia, Azerbaijan, Argentina and other countries.

As demonstrated by real-world vaccination data in a number of countries, Sputnik Light is safe and highly effective. In particular, the data from the Ministry of Health of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina) shows 78.6-83.7% efficacy among the elderly. In Paraguay, Sputnik Light is 93.5% effective during the ongoing vaccination campaign according to the country’s Ministry of Health.

Key advantages of Sputnik Light

Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V – the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus.

Sputnik Light has proven effective against all new strains of coronavirus, as demonstrated by the Gamaleya Center during laboratory tests.

Sputnik Light is compatible with standard vaccine storage and logistics requirements.

The Sputnik Light vaccine is based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector platform that has proven to be safe and effective, with no long-term side effects, as confirmed in over 250 clinical trials conducted globally over the past two decades (while the history of use of human adenoviruses in vaccine development started in 1953).