Ankara/Moscow, December 9: Turkey has decided against buying Russian coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday.  Speaking to The Haberturk news website, Fahrettin Koca said the Russian vaccine doesn't meet "good laboratory practice" conditions. Koca did not specify which Russian vaccine he was referring to. Russia has registered two vaccines against coronavirus - Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona. COVID-19 Vaccine Price: Russia Sets Maximum Wholesale Rate For Sputnik V at $26 For 2 Doses.

"Russia was not able to fulfil this. Therefore, it was not possible for the WHO and the world to purchase this vaccine. It is not possible for this vaccine to receive a licence from us either. Therefore, it is out of our area of interest," Koca was quoted as saying. Here it may be noted that phase 3 trials of Sputnik V, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus, were conducted in Turkey. COVID-19 Vaccine EpiVacCorona: Key Things to Know About Russia's Second Anti-Coronavirus Drug.

Reacting to Turkey's decision, Kremlin said results of trials of the Russian vaccine against coronavirus Sputnik V have proved its effectiveness and reliability. "We can say unequivocally — the results of testing and trials indicate that this is a very effective and reliable vaccine, which can and will certainly play a very important role in the fight against the pandemic," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Sputnik News as saying.

Russia registered Sputnik V in August. The vaccine is developed by Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in collaboration with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). A source in the RDIF told Sputnik News that Russia and Turkey were still discussing Sputnik V.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2020 11:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).