Manama: Amid coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the world, the UAE has set to start the human trials of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine.
The Phase 3 clinical trials of the Russian vaccine will be conducted by the Abu Dhabi Health authorities under the supervision of the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, official news agency WAM said on Monday.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention said the trials will commence immediately and will form part of the third-phase trial of the vaccine, currently being tested on humans in Russia and Belarus. Trials will be conducted in line with the highest international standards, and will be medically supervised for 90 days after giving the vaccine, it added.
The UAE is the second foreign country to trial Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, following trials in Belarus. Similar trials are also expected to begin in Venezuela soon.
In a statement on Monday, the Kremlin said that human trials of the vaccine have begun in the UAE while detailing a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Reuters reported.
Health Minister Abdulrahman Al-Owais said that the UAE is committed to the global fight against COVID-19 and pleased to support this process and welcome partnerships between UAE organisations and international players to enable promising solutions and progress. The UAE is an outstanding destination where people from more than 200 nations live and work, he added.
On August 11, Russia became the first country to license a Covid-19 vaccine, calling it "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. It is developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology under the Russian Health Ministry.
According to reports, Saudi Arabia could also participate in the clinical trials. Doctors and health officials from Saudi Arabia visited Moscow to assess the Sputnik V vaccine, sources said.
Around 12,000 people have participated in the vaccine trials in Russia, with a target number of 40,000. Results are expected by the end of next month.
The vaccine was fast-tracked by the Russian authorities in view of the pandemic emergency and the country’s long-standing expertise in vaccine development.
The vaccine is undergoing Phase 3 trials. The results of the first two phases of the trial conducted in June-July this year were published in leading medical journal The Lancet. The tests involving 76 participants, showed 100% of participants developing antibodies to the new coronavirus and no serious side effects, The Lancet said, that were hailed by Moscow as an answer to its critics.
The UAE is already administering a Chinese-developed vaccine to frontline health workers. Phase III clinical trials of this vaccine, which began in mid-July, is nearing the end.
The vaccine is a partnership between Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42).
The vaccine uses an inactivated virus; a well-known technology which has been used against diseases such as influenza and measles, Reuters reported.
It has been administered to more than 31,000 people including Keralites in the UAE. Clinical trials of this vaccine are being conducted in Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan also.
It is reported that Sinopharm will start manufacturing the vaccine next year as no major side effects have been reported so far.
