Europe confirms unwillingness to register Russian Sputnik V vaccine

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, said that there were not enough convincing data for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that EMA experts did not express any complaints in relation to either the Russian Sputnik V vaccine or the degree of its efficacy. Has Europe confirmed its unwillingness to register Sputnik V? The application to register the Russian vaccine at the EMA was filed back in winter. In early March, the European agency proceeded with a gradual rolling review. Judging by what Russian FM Sergei Lavrov says, this procedure continues to this day. "Currently, the Sputnik V vaccine is undergoing the so-called sequential examination at the European Medicines Agency. In April-May, EU officials visited Moscow medical institutions involved in clinical trials of Sputnik V. They also inspected production sites. EMA employees maintain direct working contact with representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia. According to information on our end, there are no comments either in relation to the vaccine itself or the degree of its efficacy. We proceed from the fact that the issue lies within politics-free and professional dialogue between specialized organizations," the minister told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.