President Vladimir Putin said during a speech at “the Future Technologies Forum” in Moscow on Wednesday that Russian scientists are close to developing cancer vaccines that may be available to patients shortly.
Although Putin did not clarify which types of cancer he was referring to or how the planned vaccinations would be used, he said, “I hope that soon they will be used effectively as methods of individual treatment.”
Several nations and firms have been developing cancer vaccines. Last year, the UK government inked a deal with Germany-based BioNTech to conduct clinical trials for “personalized cancer treatments,” with the goal of reaching 10,000 patients by 2030.
According to the World Health Organization, there are six approved vaccinations against human papillomaviruses (HPV) which cause a variety of malignancies, including cervical cancer, as well as vaccines against hepatitis B (HBV) which can cause liver cancer.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Russia created its own Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 and exported it to a number of nations, but at home in Russia there was substantial public skepticism about vaccination.
Putin admitted to having received a dose of the Sputnik vaccine in order to reassure the public about its usefulness and safety.