MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. The Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune and Biological Products at the Russian Academy of Sciences has filed an application for a Russian health ministry’s permit for clinical tests of its anti-coronavirus vaccine, Aidar Ishmukhametov, the Center’s director general, told TASS on Sunday.
"Today we referred to the Russian health ministry all necessary documents for clinical tests of a vaccine against COVID-19. We are waiting for a permit for the tests and hope to complete clinical trials in October. We plan to involve more than 3,000 people in the trial. It will meet the requirements of the World Health Organization and other international regulators," he said.
According to earlier reports, the Chumakov Center successfully completed preclinical tests of its whole-virion vaccine against the coronavirus infection. Whole-virion vaccines are based either on artificially weakened viruses incapable of causing a disease or killed (inactivated) viruses.
"Preclinical tests of our vaccine have proved that a sustainable immune response is developed. After clinical trials are successfully over, mass production of our vaccine can be organized already in November. It will be a liquid vaccine to be inoculated two times with a 14-day interval," he added.
The Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune and Biological Products was created on the basis of the Institute of Poliomyelitis and Virus Encephalitis of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences Mikhail Chumakov was the Institute’s founder and first director (until 1972).
Today the Chumakov Center is a leading world research organization in the sphere of medical virology.