Sputnik inhaler vaccine effective against Omicron, its creators promise

The inhaled form of the Russian Sputnik vaccine against COVID-19 will be available on the market in the first quarter of 2022 and will be particularly effective against the highly infectious Omicron variant of the new coronavirus, offering not only protection against infection but also prevention of its spread. , announced the Russian National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Russia, named after academician N. Gamaleya.

In October, the Russian Ministry of Health granted permission to the Gamaleya Center to conduct the second phase of clinical trials of the vaccine in the form of nasal spray. According to the director of the Center, Alexander Ginzburg, the new vaccine does not eliminate the need for routine vaccination, but will become a complementary tool, which will provide another barrier to the spread of infection. According to the distinguished Russian microbiologist, the inhaled form of the vaccine creates local immunity in the nasopharynx and creates an additional barrier for the virus as it tries to enter the human body.

Pre-clinical trials of the new form of the vaccine began in April and the clinical trials so far are progressing without serious side effects for the participants, according to the information of the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. The first phase of clinical trials involved, at least according to their statements, well-known politicians and personalities of Russian public life, among them the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the Speaker of the Upper House, Valentina Matvienko.

According to Academician Ginzburg, a new phase of clinical trials will begin on January 15, with the selection of groups of volunteers to whom it will be administered simultaneously. The groups will include vaccinated and non-vaccinated people, while the most difficult according to the scientists is to find unvaccinated people who have not been infected with the new coronavirus to date. According to experts, the scale test that has been prepared and aims to determine the level of adequate protection against the virus based on the level of antibodies is also proving to be complicated.

SOURCE: AMPE