Clinical trials of nasal vaccine against COVID-19 kick off in Moscow

A clinical study of a nasal vaccine against coronavirus developed by Generium has started in Moscow. Some 660 volunteers will participate, Moscow Mayor’s website reported on Tuesday.

"Today, we launched clinical trials of a nasal vaccine developed by the Generium company at six capital’s outpatient clinics. In all, 660 people will participate, about 400 of them - at Moscow medical facilities and the rest - at 11 centers across Russia. This vaccine’s active ingredients are identical to Sputnik V designated for intramuscular administration. Earlier, at our outpatient clinics, a study was launched of a nasal vaccine by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology," the statement quoted Deputy Moscow Mayor Anastasia Rakova as saying.

It is noted that clinical trials will be conducted at six Moscow outpatient clinics as well as in 11 medical centers in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Saransk, Saratov, Smolensk and Yaroslavl. Specialists will study the nasal vaccine’s efficacy and safety.

The participants will be split into two groups, each volunteer will receive an intramuscular injection of Sputnik V and an intranasal puff on days 1 and 21 of the study, with one group receiving the actual vaccine in the spray form and the other getting a placebo. The volunteers will remain under medical observation for 365 days.

"Before the beginning of the study, all the participants will undergo a medical exam. This helps determine the previous condition [of a patient] and avoid the development of potential adverse effects. Any healthy resident aged 18 to 60 who hasn’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 and hasn’t contracted it during the past six months as well as hasn’t contacted with an infected person over the past 14 days can participate in the study," the statement said, noting that it is possible to sign up for the study over e-mail.