The Russian health ministry’s ethical committee has paused the approval of clinical trials in Russia to combine a vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University with the Sputnik V vaccine, stated an AstraZeneca official.

Irina Panarina, AstraZeneca general director in Russia and Eurasia, stated that it did not suggest that the trials would never get approval. Prior to the committee’s decision, Irina stated that AstraZeneca had received questions regarding the trials from the health ministry and was preparing a response to them. She added that the response would be sent next week. Human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine that combines the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab with Sputnik V have been approved in Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Belarus... (Reuters, May 28, 2021)