The breakthrough drug reduced tumor size and growth by up to 80% in early testing, according to Veronika Skvortsova

Head of Russia's Federal Medical-Biological Agency, Veronika Skvortsova (3rd from the left) at the Gamaleya Center, January 2016. ©  Ramil Sitdikov/RIA Novosti

Russia’s newly developed cancer vaccine has shown high effectiveness in preclinical trials and is ready for rollout, according to Veronika Skvortsova, head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency.

The breakthrough drug is awaiting approval from the Russian Health Ministry.

The vaccine showed excellent results in three years of preclinical trials, the official told Izvestia on Friday on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“The [trials] have proven the safety of the vaccine, including its repeated use, as well as its high efficiency, which was associated with a reduction in tumor size and a slowdown in tumor growth,” Skvortsova said. She added that in some cancers, the effect reached 60-80%. “Studies have shown an increase in survival, which is also very important.”

“We submitted documents to the Ministry of Health to obtain permission for clinical use” at the end of summer, the official added.

The vaccine is ready for use, we are waiting for permission.

The initial launch is planned for colorectal cancer, with jabs for glioblastoma and melanoma to follow, she added.

 

READ MORE: Sputnik V developer sets out plan for breakthrough HIV vaccine

According to its developer, the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the drug is an mRNA-based vaccine that uses AI to train the patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells.

Institute head Alexander Gintsburg said earlier that the vaccine is subject to a unique regulatory framework due to its nature. “This is a fundamentally different process from the registration of standard drugs,” he noted last month.

The institute also developed Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine and is currently working on an HIV vaccine using the same mRNA technology.