The conditions to start the trial with the vaccine candidates Soberana 01 and Soberana 02 in pediatric patients at the end of February are being created, informed the Doctor of Sciences Vicente Vérez Bencomo, general director of the Finlay Institute of Vaccines ( IFV).
The manager specified that this study against Covid-19 will cover ages between 5 and 19 years, with a view to guaranteeing the safety of infants in school, which would give parents greater peace of mind and make it possible to attend classes.
We do not think it is necessary to fall below that range, because the cases of infants infected with the disease are generally due to a certain level of neglect, he added during a virtual meeting with the Pan American Health Organization that took place this Friday .
He pointed out that another aspect to take into account is that the age of 0 to 5 years is the most vaccinated throughout life and constitutes a very high vaccination intensity.
However, he indicated that this possibility may be analyzed in the future, perhaps when the pandemic ends, he stressed.
He added that in the case of Soberana 02, in its phase II-B it has already been used in 485 people with very good safety levels, so once that period is over there will be a superior guarantee for the pediatric setting.
Vérez Bencomo emphasized that the Institute has vast experience of clinical trials in pediatric ages, since previously all its vaccines were destined for this population.
Regarding the application of vaccine candidates in older adults, he commented that so far they do not plan to vaccinate those over 80 years of age, because this age group, although it is the most risky, has a fragile immune system and, therefore, Therefore, it will respond more weakly to the drug.
He added that when the investigations progress, rigorous evaluations will be carried out in this regard, and mentioned that in other countries the possibility of indirectly protecting this population is contemplated when they manage to lower the circulation of the virus.
The IFV was created in 1991 with the objective of expanding the achievement of a group of Cuban scientists who researched, produced and presented the VA-MENGOC-BC® vaccine, whose introduction in Cuba had a great impact by eliminating the epidemic that mainly affected children and adolescents. (ACN) (Photo: Ariel Ley)
