President highlights Cuba’s progress in Covid-19 vaccine

Havana, Oct 5.- President Miguel Diaz-Canel highlighted in Twitter progress made by Cuba in developing a vaccine candidate against Covid-19, the so-called Soberana 01 (Soverign 01), which is in the phase of clinical trials.

 

The Head of State visited the Finlay Institute of Vaccines on Friday, where he received an update on Soberana 01, which is in the second stage of human trials and has demonstrated so far great safety, the Presidency assures in its web page.

Dr. Vicente Verez, general director of this prestigious scientific institution, and leader of this research project, assured that the clinical trial of the first two formulations is progressing.

The Institute hopes to have the vaccine ready for distribution next Frebruary 2021.

Verez also commented on the results obtained in animals after the application of the vaccine candidate Soberana 02. The institution will shortly request from the Regulatory Authority of Drugs, Equipment and Medical Devices authorization to start clinical trials on humans in October.

The researcher affirmed that the work team aspires to advance decisively in the studies concerning the immune response before the end of this year and maintains the purpose of starting to vaccinate the Cuban population during the first semester of 2021.

Eulogio Pimentel, General Director of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, told the Diaz-Canel about other vaccination candidates that are being developed in this outstanding institution of Cuban science.

The CubanPresident described as very encouraging what has been achieved so far thanks to these projects that, even when they require time for their consolidation, ratify the contributions of Cuban science to the fight against Covid-19. (Prensa Latina)