COVID-19 Vaccine: Russia Claims Clinical Trials Over, Registration Process Under Way

Moscow: If reports in Russian media are to be believed, a potential vaccine for novel coronavirus being developed by Gamaleya Institute in Moscow has completed clinical trials, and the process to get it registered with the country’s regulatory body is under way.

According to Russia’s health minister, a mass vaccination programme will be launched in the country in October, with doctors and teachers among the first groups to be vaccinated.

Russia’s Tass news agency had reported last month that on July 13, the Gamaleya Institute vaccine had entered Phase II of clinical trials, in which the vaccine is tested for its ability to trigger immune response in human beings and usually takes a few months to be completed.

Concerns have been raised at the speed with which the Russian vaccine is being pushed through. Now there are question marks over whether trials will be carried out for Phase III, which assess whether the vaccine actually protects people against the disease.

Phase III trials take the longest period of time – several months or even years — as they are carried out on thousands of volunteers.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine Unlikely Before Mid-2021: Germany