Russian Embassy Says Moscow Filed Sputnik V Application With EMA In January, Not March

The Russian Embassy in Paris on Friday clarified to French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune that Russia submitted a request to register its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) back in January but received the confirmation for the filing weeks later, denying the French minister's claims that the application was submitted in March

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2021) The Russian Embassy in Paris on Friday clarified to French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune that Russia submitted a request to register its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) back in January but received the confirmation for the filing weeks later, denying the French minister's claims that the application was submitted in March.

Earlier in the day, Beaune said the EMA received the application on Sputnik V only in early March.

"We inform Mr. Beaune that the official request for registration of #SputnikV was sent to the @EMA_News on 21/01/21. The agency, however, confirmed receipt of this application only on March 4, 2021. This fact eloquently demonstrates the priorities of the EU bureaucracy in matters of vaccination," the diplomatic mission tweeted.

The Russian vaccine has been under the rolling review procedure with the EMA since March 4. Last week, the drug watchdog confirmed that it has been applying the same standards to its evaluation of Sputnik V as to any other vaccine and is planning inspections of the manufacturing and clinical sites in Russia. Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko disclosed that the arrival of EMA's expert group in the country was scheduled for April 10.

Sputnik has already been authorized for use in 59 countries, ranking second worldwide in terms of the number of approvals. According to the medical magazine Lancet, its efficacy against COVID-19 stands at 91.6 percent.