Application of the third dose of the vaccine candidate Abdala is completed, as part of phase III of the clinical trial, and efficacy evaluation begins
Author: Maby Martínez Rodríguez | internet@granma.cu
May 3, 2021 01:05:04
The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, praised the closure of the application of the third and last dose of the vaccine candidate Abdala (CIGB-66), as part of phase III of the trial clinic carried out in Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Bayamo, and which began on March 22.
«Our vaccine candidate Abdala is approaching the goal. (…) 48,290 volunteers received the three doses, with very few adverse effects. We are taking firm steps towards the total immunization of the country, “said the Head of State on his Twitter account.
According to experts from the BioCubaFarma business group, adherence to the protocol was greater than 97%, which reflects the adequate safety profile of CIGB-66, and the permanence in the research of the majority of the selected volunteers.
When referring to the efficacy of the product, Doctor of Sciences Verena Muzio, director of Clinical Research at cigb, reported that today the evaluation of this variable will begin, the main one in this period of research, from the follow-up of all subjects in order to detect those who test positive for the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus.
Regarding the publication of the results of the efficacy of the vaccine candidate, she clarified that this does not have a fixed time, because it depends on the speed with which the cases appear in the period after the administration of the third dose.
Regarding the projection of studies with Abdala in pediatric populations, he said that the researchers are in the final stages of designing clinical trials in age segments of 18 years and under, which must be submitted to the evaluation and authorization of the Center for Control State of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (Cecmed), to be able to start them in a not too distant term.
The productive exit of the vaccine candidate Abdala takes place in the Aica Laboratories, in the capital of the country.
APRIL LEFT THE HIGHEST FIGURES OF CONTAGES AND DEATH
Between January and April, far from decreasing, the monthly numbers of positive cases and – sadder still – of deceased patients due to covid-19 in the nation have increased.
Dr. Francisco Durán García, National Director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), reported in a press conference that 31,346 infections were registered in the fourth month of the year, about 5,660 more than in March. There was an average of 1,044 cases per day, and in most of the days figures over a thousand were reported.
In April, the fatality and mortality from the virus experienced a notable increase, adding 229 deaths due to complications associated with the disease, a figure that doubled the previous record, registered in February, when 108 deaths occurred.
Also in April, 4,449 children, adolescents and young people aged 18 years and under, positive for SARS-COV-2, were treated, with an average of 148 cases per day.
Such figures underscore the extraordinary importance of rigorously complying with biosecurity and social distancing measures.
