Moscow - A Russian institute developing
one of the country's potential coronavirus vaccines hopes to
start its final stage testing in a small section of the general
public in mid-August, the RIA news agency cited the institute's
director as saying on Monday.
Globally, of 19 experimental Covid-19 vaccines in human
trials, only two are in final Phase III trials - one by China's
Sinopharm and another by AstraZeneca and the University
of Oxford. China's Sinovac Biotech is set to become the
third later this month.
Early results from the first small-scale human trial of the
vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow has shown
it to be safe for use, according to a separate RIA report on
Sunday.
"Around 14-15 August, I hope, the small amount of vaccine
that we should be able to produce will enter public
circulation," Alexander Ginsburg, the institute's director, was
quoted as saying.
This will be equivalent to a Phase III trial, since people
getting the vaccine will remain under supervision, RIA reported,
citing Ginsburg.
Phase I and Phase II trials typically test the safety of a
drug before it enters Phase III trials that test its efficacy on
a bigger group of volunteers.
Human trials of the Gamaleya Institute's vaccine began on
June 18, with nine volunteers receiving one dose, and another
nine testing the prospective booster dose.
The group did not experience any significant side effects
and is due to be released from hospital on Wednesday, RIA
reported on Sunday, citing a director at the Sechenov University
in Moscow where the trial took place.
"Data currently available... shows the volunteers to have
developed an immune response to the coronavirus vaccine," the
defence ministry, involved in the trials, was cited by RIA as
saying on Monday. Another 20 volunteers were administered the
vaccine at a military hospital on June 23.