Scientists linked to the clinical trials of the Abdala COVID-19 vaccine assured that this Cuban drug is 100% effective in preventing death and severe symptoms of the disease.
Of the 48,000 volunteers involved in phase III clinical trial, only 153 were infected with the virus and among them, 142 received placebo and 11 vaccines, specified the main monitor of the studies with this immunogen from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Dr. Francisco Hernández, cited by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency.
#Abdala demuestra en su ensayo fase III una eficacia del 100% para prevenir la enfermedad sistémica severa y un 100% para la prevención del fallecimiento de vacunados. pic.twitter.com/SuTnvmgfsV
— CIGBCuba (@CIGBCuba) July 16, 2021
The statistical analysis of a greater volume of data from the tests carried out in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Guantánamo, yielded these results of the vaccine, almost a month after reporting its 92.28% effectiveness against COVID-19.
According to the specialist, so far no deaths have been reported in the group of volunteers immunized with Abdala, recently approved for emergency use on the island.
For her part, the director of Clinical Research of the CIGB, Verena Muzio, said that the clinical study called “Ismaelillo” had begun this Thursday with the administration of the first dose to 44 volunteers between 12 and 18 years of age, in the province of Camagüey.
Dr. Muzio explained that the study will later be extended to children between the ages of three and 11, adding that in its second phase, the trial will include up to 592 volunteers.
Cuba to vaccinate against COVID-19 teens and children up to 3 years of age as of September
Mambisa, the other COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the CIGB, entered the global list of nasal immunogens that are advancing to the clinical trial phase, the Cubadebate state media reported this Friday.
According to the Director of Biomedical Research of the scientific center, Dr. Gerardo Guillén, only five of the more than 300 drugs developed in the world against the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and that have reached clinical studies are nasally administered, like Mambisa.
On July 13, the Cuban Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices approved the phase I/II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the intranasal Mambisa vaccine candidate and the intramuscular Abdala vaccine, as booster immunity in convalescents from COVID-19.
