The scientific journal Nature Communications published today an article about the national vaccine “ARVAC Cecilia Grierson” and the successful results of a phase 1 clinical trial. The publication highlights the safety and immunogenicity of national vaccines, particularly in enhancing responses to all variants of the circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus, and in individuals previously vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines from different vaccine platforms, which is characteristic of the region. These results were presented at the National Agency for Medicines, Food and Medical Technologies (ANMAT) in October 2022 and led to the initiation of phases 2 and 3.
“We are getting closer and closer to Argentina becoming the first country in South America to have its own vaccine. It depends on a variety of factors: the quality of scientists, public-private partnerships, national investment, and continued commitment to basic research. affecting people’s quality of life”, continuing “Today a prestigious magazine highlighted the results of the vaccine. Argentine science continues to achieve achievements”, said Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Daniel Filmus.
“We are very pleased that the entire IIB team from UNSAM and CONICET, the Biomedical Institute of Retroviruses and AIDS (INBIRS), the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires, Clinical Pharma, Nobeltri, the Pablo Cassará Foundation and Laboratorio Pablo Cassará because the publication of this paper (evaluated by international experts) confirms that the results we obtained in the first phase are very good. The vaccine is safe and it is very important for our region that after the application of ARVAC, in different Significantly enhanced immune responses were observed in individuals of the vaccine platform. Therefore, we consider it important that this work be published and recognized in an international reference.” CONICET Researcher, Institute of Biotechnology (UNSAM-CONICET) and author of the article One of them, Juliana Cassataro, said. .
It should be remembered that in the first phase the vaccine was tested on 80 people, in the case of this variant only its monovalent version was evaluated, and in the third phase three versions of the vaccine were evaluated, one of which was bivalent price.
Vaccine Status
Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials are nearing completion, as of now, 1812 volunteers have been vaccinated among the 2000 volunteers needed, and only volunteers over 60 years old need to be recruited (can be done on the ARVAC website). It will soon receive final approval from the ANMAT regulatory body so that it can be administered in Argentina as a booster vaccine, marking a new technological milestone for the country and the region.
The development is based on recombinant protein technology, which has been used for decades to produce hepatitis B vaccines for newborns or human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for adolescents.