Sputnik V is 2 times better at neutralizing Omicron than Pfizer vaccine, found a new research.
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A unique comparative study conducted at the Italian Spallanzani Institute by a joint Italian-Russian team of researchers representing the Institute and the Gamaleya Center shows that the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine demonstrates more than 2 times higher titers of virus neutralizing antibodies to Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant than 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine (2.1 times higher in total and 2.6 times higher 3 months after vaccination).
The study was conducted in the equal laboratory conditions in the Spallanzani Institute in Italy on comparable sera samples from individuals vaccinated with Sputnik V and Pfizer with a similar level of IgG antibodies and virus neutralizing activity (VNA) against Wuhan variant.
Sputnik V shows significantly smaller (2.6 times) reduction of virus neutralizing activity against Omicron as compared to reference Wuhan variant than Pfizer vaccine (8.1-fold reduction for Sputnik V in contrast to 21.4-fold reduction for Pfizer vaccine).
The study demonstrates that Sputnik V neutralizes the Omicron variant by inducing robust antibody response associated with high levels of protection.
Among the top quartile of individuals with high RBD-specific IgG antibodies, 100% of those vaccinated with Sputnik V were able to neutralize Omicron variant in comparison to 83.3% of individuals vaccinated with Pfizer.
Among all samples, 74.2% of Sputnik V-vaccinated sera were able to neutralize Omicron vs 56.9% for Pfizer-vaccinated.
The study discusses several reasons for Sputnik V eliciting stronger virus neutralizing antibodies against Omicron, including:
Sputnik V develops a wider pool of antibodies to different epitopes in contrast to Pfizer vaccine, which utilizes the spike protein in a proline-stabilized form directed mainly to the specific epitopes, which were highly affected by the mutations in the Omicron variant;
Heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimen of Sputnik scheme;
Better mimicking of adenoviral vaccine platform of the infection.
The data supports the results of the recent laboratory study by the Gamaleya Center published in MedRxiv[i] demonstrating that Sputnik V induces robust neutralizing antibody response to Omicron variant, which is further strengthened by Sputnik Light booster:
As 80% of epitopes in the spike protein recognized by CD8+ T cells are not affected by the mutations in the Omicron variant, Sputnik V elicits strong and long-lasting T-cell response and is expected to provide durable protection against severe disease and hospitalization caused by Omicron.
Sputnik Light as a booster significantly increases virus neutralizing activity against Omicron, which is comparable to titers observed after Sputnik V against wild-type virus, associated with high levels of protection.
The Sputnik team stands for the open and transparent comparison of different vaccines and has initiated partnerships with other vaccine producers to conduct joint studies in a number of countries.
In particular, a "mix & match" trial of a combination of Sputnik Light with vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna and Cansino, conducted in 5 provinces in Argentina has demonstrated that Sputnik Light induces stronger antibody and T-cell response as compared to homologous regimen (two shots of the same vaccine).
Each "vaccine cocktail" combination with Sputnik Light provided a higher antibody titer on the 14th day after administering a second dose when compared to original homogenous (same vaccine as first and second dose) regimens of each of the vaccines.
Sputnik Light is a universal booster to other vaccines thanks to the optimal configuration of Sputnik vaccine's adenoviral platform which provides better protection against Omicron and other mutations as demonstrated in multiple studies.
Heterologous boosting with Sputnik Light has proven to be one of the best solutions to prolong the protection period of other vaccines.
The Sputnik team urges immediate global, open comparative studies on Sputnik Light and other boosters to COVID vaccines.
Any efforts to deter these comparative "mix & match" studies delay the end of the pandemic as the advantages of this most efficient approach will not be utilized.
Sputnik V has been authorized in 71 countries with a total population of over 4 billion people, and Sputnik Light in more than 30 countries.
Sputnik V and Sputnik Light have been developed using a safe technology that has been widely studied for over 30 years and have not been associated with rare serious side effects such as myocarditis or pericarditis.
The highest safety and efficacy of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light was demonstrated in more than 30 studies and real-world data publications from more than 10 countries.
Sputnik V and Sputnik Light can be stored in a conventional refrigerator at +2 +8ºC for 6 months, making them available globally, including in remote territories, without any need to invest in additional cold-chain infrastructure. ■