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Russian Health Ministry permits cancer patients to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials

14 April 2021 09:20 (UTC +04:00)

Volunteers diagnosed with cancer can take part in phase three clinical trials of two Russian anti-coronavirus vaccines, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac, to help assess their efficacy and safety for oncology patients, APA reports citing TASS.

Earlier, Tatyana Kusaiko, the deputy chair of the social policy committee of the Federation Council (Russian parliament’s upper chamber), sent a request to Health Minsiter Mikhail Murashko, asking him to provide information about studies into the vaccines’ safety for cancer patients.

The Health Ministry’s official response, obtained by TASS, reads: "While studying vaccines based on traditional and relatively well-studied technologies (such as whole-virion inactivated refined vaccine or a vaccine based on synthetic peptide antigens of the coronavirus), volunteers with cancer can take part in clinical trials. At present, Phase 3 clinical trials of EpiVacCorona and CoviVac are under way, and oncology patients can take part in those trials," reads the reply, signed by Deputy Health Minister Oleg Gridnev.

Director General of the National Medical Research Center of Radiology Andrei Kaprin said in early April that patients with oncological diseases need to be vaccinated against coronavirus, but prior to that they must consult their doctor. Previously, Kaprin told TASS that specialists from his research center together with scientists from the Gamaleya Center had worked out a general plan and description of the methods of clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine on cancer patients. According to him, research will take six to seven months.