SPUTNIK V

SPUTNIK V

Subject: Science & tech

Context: Recently, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has said that it had launched Sputnik V in India. The vaccine is currently the second most expensive Covid-19 jab in the country.

Concept:

About Sputnik V

• It is made by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow.
• It is a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine using a similar platform to Covishield.
• Unlike Covishield, which uses a weakened common cold “adenovirus” that affects chimpanzees, Sputnik V makes use of two different human adenoviruses.
• The vaccine has an efficacy of over 91 per cent.
• It implies that Sputnik V has the ability to bring down symptomatic Covid-19 cases by over 91 per cent in those vaccinated compared with those who have not received a Covid vaccine.
• In India, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is the local distribution partner for Sputnik V.
• It works on a complex biotechnology in which another virus is employed to carry the DNA code required for triggering immune response in human cells.

Working of Sputnik V Vaccine

• It uses two different viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus) in humans.
• The adenoviruses are weakened so they cannot replicate in humans and cannot cause disease.
• They are also modified so that the vaccine delivers a code for making the coronavirus spike protein.
• It aims to ensure that when the real virus tries to infect the body, it can mount an immune response in the form of antibodies.
• Sputnik uses a different vector for each of the two shots in a course of vaccination.
• It provides immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots.