MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian scientists praised the results of their first clinical trial of a possible coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, saying it had been shown to be safe and that the volunteers had developed an immune response.
FILE PHOTO: A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication in conjunction with Trinity College in Dublin shows a structurally representative model of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus linked to the outbreak of Wuhan, shared with Reuters on February 18, 2020. NEXU Science Communication / via REUTERS / File Photo
Speaking to a crowded room without wearing masks, three of 18 volunteers monitored for a month at Sechenov University said they had all experienced few side effects.
A large-scale trial, aimed at determining the strength of the vaccine’s immune response and how long protection will last, is expected to begin in Russia in mid-August.
More than 100 possible vaccines are being developed and tested worldwide to try to stop the pandemic. Of 19 in human trials, only two are in the final Phase III, one by Sinopharm from China and one by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
“We were mainly testing security,” said Elena Smolyarchuk, head of the department at Sechenov University and one of the coordinators of the trial.
“On non-specific immunity we can only talk about preliminary results. These show a good positive trend, a strengthening of non-specific immunity, “he said.
However, the Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, will draw final conclusions on the immune response among the volunteers and they are expected to make ends meet.
Russia’s health ministry will decide whether to register the vaccine and start a larger-scale trial, Smolyarchuk said.
The vaccine is administered in two doses and consists of two serotypes of the human adenovirus, each with a new coronavirus S antigen, which enters human cells and produces an immune response, Smolyarchuk said.
It was first tested on primates and then administered to volunteers on June 18.
The platform used for the vaccine was developed by Russian scientists for two decades and had formed the basis for several vaccines in the past, including three against Ebola, said Vadim Tarasov of Sechenov University.
The defense ministry, which conducted a parallel test of the same vaccine on a separate group of 20 volunteers, also said Wednesday that the group had been discharged.
“It is no longer scary,” Yuriy, a soldier and volunteer, said in a video shared by the Defense Ministry.
Polina Ivanova’s report; Editing by Nick Macfie
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