The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announces the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has authorised the use of Russian Sputnik V vaccine in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The vaccine was registered under the emergency use authorisation procedure based on the results of the Russian Phase III clinical trials which included over 33,000 subjects. Moreover, local Phase III clinical trials of Sputnik V in the UAE are ongoing under the supervision of the MOHAP and Department of Health (DOH) of Abu Dhabi with 1,000 volunteers already enrolled into the study. Medical protocols are handled by the public health provider, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA.

As a precursor to the emergency authorisation procedure, Sputnik V trials were conducted in the UAE and were facilitated through a partnership between RDIF and Abu Dhabi-based Aurugulf Health Investment and Pure Health – the marketing and distribution partner. Since the launch of the trials in December 2020, a total of 1000 volunteers received their first dose of the vaccine, a celebrated milestone which paved the way for registering the vaccine under the emergency use authorisation.

Supplies of the vaccine to the UAE will be facilitated by RDIF's international partners in India, China, South Korea and other countries.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund, said, “The UAE is one of Russia's key partners in the Middle East. RDIF appreciates the cooperation with health authorities of UAE and welcomes the regulatory approval of Sputnik V. The decision to include Sputnik V in UAE's national vaccine portfolio is an important step towards protecting the population with one of the best vaccines against coronavirus in the world.”