AstraZeneca to trial COVID-19 vaccine combination with Russian shot by year-end - RDIF

The official, Kirill Dmitriev, said in a statement that Russia was determined to start joint production of the new combined vaccine with AstraZeneca once it had proven its efficacy in clinical trials. AstraZeneca announced earlier on Friday it would investigate combining its own experimental vaccine with Sputnik V, a move Russian scientists have suggested could sharply boost efficacy.

Britain's AstraZeneca will start clinical trials combining its own vaccine with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine candidate by the end of the year, the head of Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Friday. The official, Kirill Dmitriev, said in a statement that Russia was determined to start joint production of the new combined vaccine with AstraZeneca once it had proven its efficacy in clinical trials.

AstraZeneca announced earlier on Friday it would investigate combining its own experimental vaccine with Sputnik V, a move Russian scientists have suggested could sharply boost efficacy. Dmitriev said that cooperation between scientists from different countries would be decisive in beating the pandemic.