MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian-developed COVID-19 vax begins clinical trials

After the first two phases, a report will be sent to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) for authorization of the next phase.

Volunteers were given Friday their first injections of SpiN-Tec MCTI UFMG, a vaccine against COVID-19 developed in Brazil “with national technology and inputs” and “financed with resources from Brazilian institutions,” according to Agencia Brasil.

Brazil's Research and Scientific Training Secretary Marcelo Morales administered the first dose of the vaccine to one of the 1,000 volunteers who signed up to participate in the tests during an event in Belo Horizonte.

Tests will be carried out in three phases that will gather 72, 360, and 5,000 volunteers, respectively. After the first two phases, a report will be sent to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) for authorization of the next phase.

Before its use in humans, pre-clinical tests conducted in the laboratory and in animals confirmed the efficacy and preliminary safety of the vaccine. The results were published in August this year in the scientific journal Nature.

The clinical trials are coordinated by Professor Helton Santiago, from the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB), and Professor Jorge Andrade Pinto, from the Vaccine Clinical Research Unit (UPqVac).

SpiN-Tec had an investment of R$ 16 million (around US$ 3 million) from the Ministry of Science and Technology and Innovations and the participation of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Minas Gerais (Fiocruz Minas) and the Virus Network - a committee that brings together funding agencies such as the Financier of Studies and Projects (Finep) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

Earlier this week, Anvisa approved the return of mandatory face masks in airplanes and airports in a move to reduce the risk of COVID-19 contagion after a significant increase in the number of cases in the country. Masks must be adjusted to the face, covering the nose, chin, and mouth, minimizing spaces that allow the entry or exit of air and respiratory droplets, authorities insisted.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)