Russia's second COVID-19 Vaccine 'EpiVacCorona' passes early trials: Report

After announcing the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine, Russia has now begun the early clinical trials for a second coronavirus vaccine. According to the vaccine developer, the early clinical trials of a second Russian COVID-19 vaccine have proved successful.

Russia's Vektor, the state virology research centre in Siberia on Thursday, October 1 said that the early-stage trials were successful for its own experimental vaccine, named 'EpiVacCorona'. The first two phases of clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of the EpiVacCorona vaccine, Vektor's press department told a Russian news agency.

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In August Russia had announced that it had developed the world's first registered vaccine named 'Sputnik V'. The vaccine registration raised concerns among Western scientists as the vaccine developed by Moscow's Gamaleya research centre had received approval before full clinical trials have been completed.

Vektor's vaccine could be approved by the ministry in three weeks

Vektor further said it would be possible to make the final conclusions about the efficacy of its vaccine, based on peptides that trigger an immune response after post-approval clinical trials have been completed. Furthermore, the Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko informed President Vladimir Putin this week that Vektor's vaccine could be approved by the ministry in three weeks.

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About the clinical trials of EpiVacCorona vaccine

The post-registration clinical trials would begin on 5,000 volunteers in Siberia, Vektor said and added that there would be a separate clinical trial involving 150 volunteers who are over 60 years of age. Further, the lab will begin placebo-controlled trials on 5,000 Russian volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60.

Vektor further said the EpiVacCorona vaccine is a two-component vaccine, and the interval between the administration of the first and second components is 21 days. Russia plans to manufacture an initial 10,000 doses and the production is expected to begin in November, Vektor informed.

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Russia Ready to share information on Sputnik V

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 22, Tuesday said that the country is willing to not only share its experience with its COVID-19 vaccine candidate but also to communicate its notions of supplying the self-touted doses of the ‘safe and effective’ Sputnik V. During his annual address at the 75th-anniversary gathering of United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Putin stressed on the importance of global cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic that has rocked the world since the beginning of 2020. 

After several western countries including the United States expressed scepticism regarding the unprecedented announcement of the ‘world’s first’ COVID-19 vaccine last month, Putin, in his annual speech, dismissed the doubts yet again by lauding the reliability of the same.

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