Kazakh scholar on research to develop QazVac COVID-19 vaccine
During live coverage on the Kazakh Health Ministry’s Instagram page, Kunsulu Zakarya said that the first 50 thousand doses of the QazCovid-in COVID-19 vaccine trademarked as QazVac and developed by the Scientific Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems were distributed to the SK Pharmacy storehouses in late April. Established in 1958, several dozen vaccines against highly dangerous and dangerous viruses have been developed by the Institute's scholars well-aware of the inactive vaccine development technology.
The speaker said that the components of an inactive vaccine are well-studied and safe, noting that the only new component in the QazVac vaccine was the virus causing coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. According to her, the virus was isolated from a pathological material on May 9, 2020.
She went on to say that the Kazakh COVID-19 vaccine is included in the WHO’s list of COVID-19 candidate vaccines, noting that the vaccine is the 14th in the world to enter clinical trials on people. The vaccine underwent the large-scale preclinical trials on over 500 animals, including on 370 at the Scientific Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems. The data on the preclinical trials were reviewed on reproducibility and efficiency at the National Center for Expertise of Pharmaceuticals of the Health Ministry, which conducted trails on 220 different animals. The trails showed high results in safety and immunogenicity.
She noted that once the preclinical trails were completed in July last year the Institutes’ scholars were the first in the country to test the vaccine on themselves. Later, trails on volunteers began and was conducted in three stages at the Health Ministry’s clinical bases, with the first stage involved 44 volunteers, the second – 200, and the third – 3 thousand.
According to her, none of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the world has not fully undergone the third stage trails. She said that the WHO’s decision to authorize for emergency use the vaccines showing good results in the first and second stages allowed for temporary state registration of the Kazakh QazVac vaccine and use in medicine after passing 50% of the third stage clinical trials.
She added that the third stage of clinical trials of the QazVac vaccine is set to be completed in July this year.
