Kazakhstan to test locally developed vaccine against COVID-19 on 200 volunteers

In Kazakhstan, the Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems is set to test its vaccine against the COVID-19 virus on over 200 volunteers, Kazinform refers to the Intergovernmental Commission against the spread of COVID-19. On March 23, 2020 Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems employees collected specimens from the first COVID-19 patients, and a week later isolation of infectious SARS-CoV-2 was performed. On May 9, 2020 the development of a candidate inactivated vaccine against COVID-19 was completed, with the protocol sent to the WHO. Following the preliminary checks on May 15, 2020 the World Health Organization added the vaccine into a list of candidate vaccines approved for preclinical trials. The Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems started testing its vaccines on laboratory animals including on lab rats, Syrian hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets and rabbits. The pretrial testing helped prove the vaccine’s compliance with WHO requirements and these of Kazakhstan’s State pharmacopoeia. On July 26, 2020 5 developers of the vaccine voluntarily conduced testing on themselves so as to ensure their safety. 3 days into the vaccination, they were said to feel well, experience no high temperature or any allergies. The pretrial tests are set to be completed before August 20, 2020. After obtaining permission from the Health Ministry, the vaccine’s clinical tests will be conducted starting from September on 44 volunteers without antibodies to COVID-19 as part of phase I at the clinic in Almaty city. Phase II set to begin in mid-October of 2020 implies testing the vaccine on 200 more volunteers taking into account WHO requirements, which will end in December this year. Given the WHO approval of the vaccines’ clinical tests, the country will start its production at the immunobiological pharmaceuticals production plant being constructed in the territory of the Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems. The plant is planned to produce up to 60 million doses per year and is to be operational by December 2020. By Akbota Kuzekbay