Russia's Gamaleya Centre Developing Medicine Containing Antibodies to Treat COVID

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Gamaleya National Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology is developing a medicine containing antibodies to treat coronavirus patients, the centre's director, Alexander Gintsburg, told Sputnik.

"We are currently developing antibodies that can be given to patients with coronavirus in the form of a medicine", Gintsburg said.

"We will start clinical trials in January next year, and I hope that we will complete these clinical trials within three to four months", Gintsburg added.

Concerning the issue of using a nasal vaccine against the new coronavirus infection instead of ordinary vaccination, he said that it will be decided during clinical trials, and there is no definite answer yet.

"The question is good, correct, there is no unequivocal answer to this. During the clinical trials for which we have received permission, one of the questions that will be resolved... will be the one that you have now asked me", Gintsburg said when asked whether the nasal vaccine against COVID-19 could replace an injection or will be used as a supplement to it, for example, during revaccination.

The Gamaleya Research Centre developed the world's first vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19, Sputnik V.