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Coronavirus pandemic

Minister pins problems with registration of Russian COVID vaccines on competition

"I think it is an element of competition. Until Pfizer covers a certain part of the market, it is pure economics," Denis Manturov said when asked about the problem of mutual recognition of coronavirus vaccines

MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Problems with the registration of Russian coronavirus vaccines in the West stem from unfair competition, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel on Tuesday.

"I think it is an element of competition. Until Pfizer covers a certain part of the market, it is pure economics," he said when asked about the problem of mutual recognition of coronavirus vaccines.

"Why don’t they manufacture Sputnik in America? <…> As soon as America starts manufacturing Sputnik, we will begin [to use] Pfizer," he stressed.

Today, four coronavirus vaccines are manufactured and used in Russia, namely Sputnik V and Sputnik Light developed by the Russian health ministry’s Gamaleya Center, EpiVacCorona developed by the sanitary watchdog’s Vector Center, and CoviVac developed by the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Chumakov Center.

Sputnik V was the world’s first officially registered coronavirus vaccine (August 11, 2020). To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends seven coronavirus vaccines for emergency use. Thirteen more vaccines, including Russia’s Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona, are in the process of receiving approval.

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