Russian Businesspeople and Politicians to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Under Development in April

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Bloomberg reported on the 20th (local time) that many Russian businessmen and high-ranking politicians had already been vaccinated with a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine developed domestically as of April.

Bloomberg cited anonymous sources, stating that businessmen and politicians began receiving the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology under the Russian Ministry of Health in Moscow starting in April. The official Phase 1 clinical trial of the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Center began last month and was completed in mid-this month.

Bloomberg estimated that hundreds had been vaccinated, but only dozens of individuals have been confirmed, and it is unknown how they were selected. While the vaccination itself is not illegal, it appears that the unofficial vaccinations were kept secret due to concerns about a surge in volunteers.

A high-ranking business executive stated, "I took the risk to live a normal life and conduct business meetings normally." Many Russian businessmen reportedly declined the vaccination offer due to concerns about side effects from receiving an unverified vaccine.

The Gamaleya Center is developing the vaccine with investment from Russia's sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), and support from the Ministry of Defense. Phase 1 clinical trials involving 38 volunteers each at Moscow's Sechenov Medical University and Burdenko Military Hospital were completed in mid-this month. The testing institutions reported that antibodies were produced during Phase 1 clinical trials and no significant side effects were observed.

Kiril Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, which invested in vaccine development, said last week that Phase 3 clinical trials targeting citizens of Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would begin in August, and the vaccine could be supplied by September.