Russian sovereign wealth fund gives up on selling Sputnik V to Brazil

Russian financier and investor Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Photo: ID1974/Shutterstock

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which financed the development of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, has decided to give up on selling vaccines to Brazil. Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev told finance newspaper Valor that Brazilian regulators’ rejection of emergency use approval for Sputnik V “cannot be based on science.” He says the country could have received as many as 80 million shots by the end of 2021.

Analysts at Brazil’s federal health regulator Anvisa found issues with clinical trial data and reported issues in asserting the vaccine’s quality and safety. Last week, Anvisa inspectors visited Russia to assess the facilities manufacturing Sputnik V.

“At the same time, they greenlight a vaccine with cases of severe thrombosis [AstraZeneca], while such risks are zero for Sputnik V,” said Mr. Dmitriev. The executive mentioned that, during the Donald Trump presidency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pressured Brazil to ignore the Russian-made vaccine.

An HHS report mentioned the move as a way to “combat malignant influences in the Americas.”