Russia plans to export a nasal form of its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, Reuters news agency reported on Thursday.
Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund which invested in Sputnik V and markets it overseas, said Russia would sell the nasal form to other countries next year.
However, the original version of Sputnik V, consisting of two injections, has not yet been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Medicines Agency.
Dmitriev said Russia was expecting a specialist team from the WHO to visit in December to work on a review of Sputnik V for possible approval.
Research has been conducted in countries around the world to develop nasal sprays to help prevent and treat COVID-19, particularly given that the lining of the nose has been identified as a key entry point for the virus, Reuters noted.
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