Cuba's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center (CIGB) on Monday ended one of the first steps in phase I of the nasal and sublingual Mambisa COVID-19 vaccine's clinical trials.
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The trial manager Miladys Limonta explained that the vaccine finished the "short study time stipulated for day zero, 14, and 28."
Mambisa is based on a protein of the hepatitis B virus, produced as particles in bacteria and yeasts through recombinant genetic engineering.
"This type of vaccine takes longer to develop, but it is safer. It does not work with a virus nor with toxic compounds that can generate unexpected effects in the organism," CIGB president Gerardo Guillen explained.
Eighty-eight volunteers took part in the research, which began at Havana's Carlos Juan Finlay Hospital on December 7. At the study's start, volunteers received one intramuscular dose of the drug and two others by nasal route.
"So far, the vaccine is safe since only mild adverse reactions have occurred," Limonta explained while reporting that the CIGB is also studying the intramuscular Abdala vaccine.
Besides Mambisa and Abdala, there are two other COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials: Soberanas 01 and 02. Cuba is the first Latin American country to develop its own vaccines against the disease.
Health authorities believe the entire population will be immunized by the end of 2021, thanks to the positive results achieved by the four Cuban vaccines.