Russia To Start COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail Trial On Monday - Gamaleya Center

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2022) Russian researchers will start to administer a COVID-19 treatment drug based on monoclonal antibodies to the first volunteers on Monday as part of a clinical trial approved by the Russian Health Ministry, Alexander Gintsburg, the director of the Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, told Sputnik.

In March, the Russian health ministry allowed the center to conduct clinical research of the drug.

"On Monday, the drug based on monoclonal antibodies will start to be injected to volunteers. All documents have already been signed. The first person will be injected with the drug at the Research Institute of Influenza of the Health Ministry in St. Petersburg," Gintsburg said.

He stressed that only healthy volunteers will participate in the first phase of the study; however, during the second phase, researches plan to test the drug on patients with confirmed COVID-19.

The Russian health ministry is expected to consider the registration of the drug based on the results of the second phase of the trial, Gintsburg added.