REUTERS
The drug is yet to undergo another three phases of clinical trials.
In about a year, the Ukrainian vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready for use if trials prove successful, Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov told a Kyiv briefing on Monday, October 26.
The minister recalled that on October 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky saw the results of preclinical studies of a Ukraine-made candidate for the COVID-19 vaccine, an UNIAN correspondent reports.
The research has been ongoing for six months already, since April, Stepanov noted.
"Researchers have done some fruitful work to select the optimal number of epitopes – antigens aimed to create a combined vaccine and reliably provide for long-term immunity," Stepanov said.
He added that lab research included animal immunization. Following tests, researchers have obtained a stable result for the production of antibodies by animal organisms.
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The research was carried out in Turkish and American labs.
"We still have a very long way to go for this candidate to become a vaccine. This requires three more phases of clinical trials. Now in Ukraine an appropriate production facility is being selected where this can be done," Stepanov explained.
According to the minister, if research is successful, in about a year the Ukrainian vaccine for COVID-19 will be ready for use.
He also noted that the president plans to completely restore in Ukraine production of vaccines which the country is now purchasing from foreign suppliers.
Earlier, Stepanov said that the state would fully finance production of the Ukrainian COVID-19 vaccine, which requires about UAH 100-150 million.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to test on himself the Ukrainian vaccine for COVID-19.