Cuban clinical trials of two of its vaccine candidates move forward

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 29 (ACN) The Cuban biopharmaceutical industry's business group, BioCubaFarma, reported today that 101,943 people have already been vaccinated in the country with the first doses of the anti-COVID-19 candidates Soberana 02 and Abdala, during phase III of their clinical trials.

The scientific institution specified on Twitter that this figure includes the vaccinations of the controlled intervention trial with Soberana 02, in its first stage.

For the phase III study of Soberana 02, which is taking place in Havana, 35,153 people have already been vaccinated, out of a total of 44,010 included in the study (79.9 %).

In Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Guantanamo provinces, where the third stage of clinical trials of the Abdala candidate is being carried out, 19,524 people have been vaccinated, which represents 40.7 % of the 48,000 volunteers to participate.

In addition, as part of the controlled intervention trial being carried out in the capital of the country with the Soberana 02 formulation, 47,266 people have been vaccinated, out of the 74,665 who are part of the study.

So far, the specialists are assessing positively the development of this stage of studies, which evaluates the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of the formulations.

The controlled intervention trial seeks to determine the direct and indirect effects of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in population cohorts at risk of infection, disease and spread of the epidemic.

Institutions such as Aica Laboratories, the Immunoassay Center, the Ministry of Public Health, the Center for Scientific Research of the Civil Defense, Center for State Control of Drugs, Medical Devices and Equipment(CECMED) and the National Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials are participating in the production of the vaccine candidates.

BioCubaFarma experts recently indicated that by August the country expects to have enough doses of Soberana 02 and Abdala to immunize the entire Cuban population.