Iran Adds ‘PastoCovac’ to Its Arsenal of COVID Vaccines after Approval
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Pastu Covac vaccine, created in collaboration between Iran's Pasteur Institute and Cuba's Finlay Vaccine Institute, has been added to the country's arsenal of vaccines against coronavirus.
“The first batch of six million doses of the PastoCoVac vaccine was released and distributed,” Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, the chairman of the Iranian Food and Drug Administration, announced on Monday.
The first part of six million doses of Pastu Covac, agreed by the two institutes, has been received and distributed, IRIB quoted Shanehsaz as saying on Tuesday.
It was created in collaboration between Iran's Pasteur Institute and Cuba's Finlay Vaccine Institute. Last month, the two-dose vaccine was approved for children aged 2 to 18, with Pasteur Institute Director Alireza Biglari declaring that it is one of the safest vaccines available for kids.
Shanehsaz said Tehran hopes the number of shots will increase and that more doses becoming available is “subject to agreement” between the two institutes, which “have promised to increase production.”
Tehran hopes to expand the amount of shots accessible, according to Shanehsaz, who added that more doses becoming available is "subject to agreement" between the two institutes, which "have agreed to enhance output."
The organization expects to receive 10 million vaccines from late October to the end of November, “some of which are made jointly in Iran and Finlay and some of which are fully produced in Iran,” according to the Iranian medical regulator chief.
Alireza Biglari indicated that Pastu Covac (also known as Soberana 02 in Cuba) was tested on youngsters in the Caribbean country, and an emergency use authorization was obtained.
According to the findings of the study, this vaccine should be given with a booster dosage in adults, but a third dosage is not required in children, and two doses are sufficient to ensure immunization, he stated.
According to Tehran Times, Pastu Covac is a conjugate vaccine that comes in two doses, in which the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been chemically conjugated to tetanus toxoid.
The two first phases of the human trial have been conducted in Cuba, while the third phase had 24,000 volunteers in Iran and 44,000 volunteers in Cuba.
Biglari stated in July that it is the first vaccination in the world that can combat multiple mutations at the same time.
