In a recent announcement today, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, made a bold claim that his nation is on the cusp of creating a vaccine that is designed to combat cancer. Speaking at a forum that focused on the advancements in future technologies, this forum was held in the capital city of his nation, Moscow. The claim that Putin made is one that could potentially transform the field of medicine as we know it.
Putin elaborated, stating, “We have come very close to creating so-called cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory drugs of a new generation.” He made this statement during a televised speech, indicating the progress his nation has made in this crucial medical field. He expressed optimism for the future, adding, “I hope that they will soon be used effectively as methods for individual treatment,”. However, he refrained from specifying which particular type of cancer the proposed vaccines would be targeting.
Despite the major advancements that have been made by several nations in their pursuit to devise cancer vaccines, this announcement made by Russia marks the first time that a country has made such a proclamation. For instance, last year, the United Kingdom signed an agreement with the German biotechnology company, BioNTech. This agreement was signed with the intention of launching clinical trials that would provide “personalized cancer treatments”. The ambition for this project is to reach 10,000 patients by the year 2030.
In the United States, pharmaceutical giants Moderna and Merck & Co are currently in the middle of a study that is looking at a cancer vaccine. They reported that they were able to reduce the chance of relapse or death from melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – by half, after three years of treatment.
Throughout the course of the Corona epidemic, Russia managed to develop its own vaccine, Sputnik V. This vaccine displayed promising results in terms of efficacy when it was administered to the general public. Putin himself claimed that he had received the vaccine, in order to reassure people of its safety and efficacy. Owing to this, the vaccine has been distributed to several countries all around the globe.
