TEHRAN (Iran News) – Spicogen, a coronavirus vaccine developed by Iranian and Australian researchers, has successfully passed the second trial phase in Iran and is ready for the third trial phase.
If results of the second phase are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the third phase will be conducted on 16,800 volunteers by the end of summer, ISNA reported.
The first phase of the clinical trial was performed on volunteer Australians.
Vaccines against viruses can be divided into three main categories: live attenuated, inactivated/killed, and subunit vaccines. Recombinant protein subunit vaccines are composed of at least 1 type of viral antigen. These vaccines are significantly more secure than live attenuated and inactivated vaccines.
Spicogen is a recombinant protein subunit vaccine.
Iran is also producing vaccines jointly with Cuba, and Russia, which may also be released by September.
Homegrown vaccines
COVIRAN BAREKAT, the first homegrown coronavirus vaccine, was unveiled on December 29, 2020, and started to be mass-produced on March 29.
Meanwhile, a vaccine developed by the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (Razi Cov Pars) is expected to become the second Iranian-made vaccine to be administered among the population in early August.
Iran has also successfully completed the first phase of the human trial for Fakhra vaccine, the third domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, named after martyred nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Osvid-19, the fourth domestically-made vaccine, is also undergoing human trials, which will also be available in early September.
