Cuba & Iran Sign an Agreement on Sovereign Vaccine 02

Cuban Finlay Vaccines Institute and the Pasteur Institute of Iran signed a collaboration agreement here to complement the clinical evidence of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine candidate from the Caribbean island, Soberana02. In its official Twitter account, the Cuban entity explained that 'this synergy will allow faster progress in immunization against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in both countries.'
For its part, the BioCubaFarma business group also highlighted the commitment to cooperation between both nations.

'The Pasteur Institute of Iran has a long history of collaboration with BioCubaFarma. Today the ties of friendship between our two countries are strengthened with a new agreement related to the Sovereign Vaccine of the Finlay Institute against Covid-19', said the entity.

Soberana 02 began its second phase of clinical trials on December 22 when the first volunteers received immunization and thus became the first Latin American drug to reach that stage.
On previous days and, exclusively with Prensa Latina, the director of the Finlay Institute, Doctor of Science Vicente Vérez, explained that they were preparing to carry out efficacy studies of said drug abroad.

He specified that, after phase II of clinical investigations, the third stage of the trials will begin, in which they foresee the evaluation of efficacy both in the Caribbean country and abroad.
The candidate is a conjugate vaccine, in which the virus antigen, the receptor-binding domain (RBD), is chemically bound to tetanus toxoid.

According to Vérez, the drug has two formulations and the second of them was highly effective in animals, as it provoked a very powerful immune response from the first week of its first dose.
It also induces a long-lasting memory in the immune response that, in addition to producing antibodies, makes them last.

The Finlay also developed the Sovereign 01 candidate, whose phase I clinical trial was scheduled to conclude in late 2020.

In addition, the largest of the Antilles has two other candidates against Covid-19, prepared at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology: Abdala and Mambisa. The latter will be nasally applied.

Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpur was cited by Iranian media as saying 50,000 volunteers would be recruited to carry out the Phase III clinical trials. Technology transfer and joint production were preconditions for allowing human testing in the country, he said. He went on to say that the human trial phase of the vaccine has been carried out successfully in Cuba. “The second phase of the human trial is being conducted under the supervision of the Pasteur Institute of Iran in Cuba. Provided that the second phase is successful, the third phase will be implemented in Iran.”

Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he was “impressed” by the biotech achievements of its old ally Cuba in the fight against COVID-19 during a visit to Havana on a Latin American tour last November.

In addition to developing its own vaccine, Iran is participating in the COVAX scheme which aims to secure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines for poorer countries. Yet its Supreme Leader on Friday banned the government from importing COVID-19 vaccines from the United States and Britain, labeling the Western powers “untrustworthy.”

Cuba has not talked of importing vaccines from elsewhere and said it intends to start vaccinating its population against COVID-19 with its own vaccine in the first half of the year.

Foreign companies will not be allowed to test COVID-19 vaccines on the Iranian people, President Hassan Rohani said on Saturday, a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader banned vaccine imports from the United States and Britain. “Foreign companies wanted to give us vaccines so they would be tested on the Iranian people. But the health ministry prevented it,” Rohani said in televised remarks, without naming the companies or giving further details. “Our people will not be a testing device for vaccine manufacturing companies,” he added. “We shall purchase safe foreign vaccines.”

Iran launched human trials of its first domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate late last month, saying it could help the country defeat the pandemic despite U.S. sanctions that affect its ability to import vaccines. - Reuters, Plenglish, Tehran Times