UFRO vacuna cansino

1,800,000 doses of the CanSino vaccine are about to arrive in Chile. It is the fourth vaccine that has been authorized in Chile in the fight against COVID-19.

The CanSino vaccine has officially been approved by the Chilean Public Health Institute (ISP) on Wednesday, April 7. It requires one single dose and has also been authorized in five other countries. In Chile, the first doses of the vaccine – the clinical trial in Chile has been led by the university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) – will arrive next month and will be administered together with three other vaccines that have already been authorized in Chile some time ago.

Unlike the other vaccines registered in Chile, CanSino requires only one dose, which makes it easier to administer. In addition, it requires a refrigeration temperature of between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, which is the standard temperature at which most vaccines are stored, and which makes its transport easier.

Dr. Eduardo Hebel, the Rector of UFRO, is glad about the decision of the Public Health Institute, since this will accelerate the vaccination process in Chile. He also thanked the researchers involved in the clinical trials for their great efforts. “It is a very powerful statement that the research carried out in the regions – in a rather centralized country, such as Chile – together with the collaborative work of the researchers, leads to specific and successful results. In this context, I would like to highlight the leadership of Dr. Fernando Lanas and Dr. Sergio Muñoz, who are part of our university and who led the clinical trial for Chile, together with the universities Universidad Austral and Universidad San Sebastian,” he said.

Dr. Fernando Lanas received this news with great pleasure, pointing out that – according to the preliminary results of the phase 3 clinical trials carried out in Mexico, Argentina, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Chile – the vaccine has 91% efficacy against severe disease and 65% against symptomatic infection.

A total of 1,800,000 doses are about to arrive in Chile. Meanwhile, the trial will continue until December 2021, monitoring the 3,500 inoculated patients who participated in phase 3 of the trial, which is led by UFRO.

 

Written by: Karimme Riadi Millas
Vice-Rectorate for Research and Graduate Studies