World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge thanked Russia for developing a vaccine against COVID-19. As reported by the TASS agency, he said this after a meeting with the Minister of Health, Mikhail Murashko.
“WHO greatly appreciates the efforts that the Russian Federation has made to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, namely Sputnik V. Once again, I want to thank Russia for its excellent efforts to create a safe and effective vaccine, ”said Kluge.
As reported by the Interfax agency, on Monday Kluge also met with the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova. At the meeting, he expressed confidence that the results of the third phase of the Russian vaccine study would be positive.
The vaccine, named “Gam-Covid-Vak” (“Sputnik V”), was developed by the Moscow Center named after Gamalei. Now it is undergoing the third, final, stage of testing, in which about 40 thousand volunteers will participate. Research is being carried out in Moscow and the region, and the first batches of the drug were sent to all Russian regions in order to work out the supply chains, distribution and organization of vaccination of the population from risk groups, the Ministry of Health said.
The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACOI, among the members of the leading international pharmaceutical concerns) asked the Ministry of Health to postpone the registration of the drug until the third phase of clinical trials of Sputnik V is successfully completed.
Meanwhile, the RDIF said that many countries of the world are interested in the Russian vaccine: Brazil, Mexico, India, some states of the Middle East.
Another vaccine, EpiVacCorona, is being developed by the Vector Virological Center located near Novosibirsk. Trials of the drug on volunteers began on July 27, until the volunteers showed side effects, Rospotrebnadzor reported. This vaccine does not contain a live virus and forms immunity through the use of artificially synthesized peptides, the department noted.
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