"The vaccine platform that is used by the Italian vaccine candidate, invented by ReiThera, and based on a non-replicative viral vector, should not be strain-dependent. In any case, it is, however, easily adaptable to different viruses or strains of the same virus", Ippolito said.
At the same time, Ippolito noted that to date, scientific evidence has shown that the mutations Sars-CoV-2 underwent were insignificant.
According to the scientist, the very first results of phase one will only be available in a couple of months, while the final results will be presented to the international scientific community only after the 24 weeks foreseen by the research protocol.
Ippolito also said that in Italy, a vaccine can be approved for popular use only after the successful completion of phases 1, 2, and 3 of trials with a gradual increase in the number of volunteers. During phase 3, the vaccine should also be tested in the countries where there is a higher circulation of the virus and, therefore, a greater probability for those vaccinated to contract the infection.
"Spring 2021 is already an optimistic forecast, thinking now of the possibility of completing the experimentation earlier would not be serious", the scientist said.
Safety of the vaccine for various groups of population and possible adverse effects will only become clear once all phases are completed, Ippolito said, adding that the vaccine should receive approval by the national regulatory agency, the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), after that.
"On the positive side, now there are many vaccine trials around the world, which use different technologies: we, therefore, expect multiple vaccines to be available sooner or later, each of which may also have efficacy profiles more suitable to specific demographic groups", Ippolito said.
Apart from working on its own vaccine, Italy along with Germany, France, and the Netherlands has signed a contract with AstraZeneca to supply up to 400 million doses of the vaccine that the company is developing with Oxford University to Europe.
The experimentation phase of this vaccine is more advanced than that of the Italian-made one and is expected to end in autumn.
"The vaccine cannot and must not become a political tool or, worse, the detonator of a new cold war. Italy considers the vaccine as a common good: in a pandemic like this no one is saved alone, and the borders between nations make little sense compared to a pathogen that does not need visas and documents to move from one nation to another", Ippolito said.
On Monday, the Italian-made vaccine, developed by the biotech company ReiThera, entered into phase one of human trials at the Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome, which has been closely collaborating with ReiThera.
According to Francesco Vaia, medical director of the Spallanzani Institute, the vaccine is set to be ready for use by spring 2021.
