Benzinga | Jan 20, 2022 11:34AM EST

Sputnik V Associated With Higher Antibody Levels Against Omicron Than Pfizer, Study Shows: Reuters

According to a small preliminary laboratory study, omicron-neutralizing antibodies in people vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine did not decline as much as of those after Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) COVID-19 shots.

* The joint Russian-Italian study was funded by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which markets Sputnik V abroad.

* The study compared the blood serum of people who had received the different vaccines taken three to six months after the second dose of a vaccine, Reuters reported.

* Data showed that the levels of antibodies in recipients of two doses of Sputnik V (n=51) were more resistant to omicron than in those vaccinated with Pfizer (n=17).

* The preliminary study that will seek certification by peer review showed that omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies were detected in the blood serum of 74.2% of the people vaccinated with Sputnik and 56.9% of those immunized with Pfizer / BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX).

* Also See: 4 Shots Of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Not Enough To Prevent Omicron Infection, Say Israeli Researchers.

* An earlier preliminary study by the Gamaleya Institute, the developer of Sputnik V, showed that a booster shot of Sputnik Light vaccine provided a stronger antibody response against omicron than the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine alone.

* Price Action: PFE stock is up 0.10% at $53.60, BNTX stock is down 0.55% at $160.78 during the market session on the last check Thursday.