Cubans develop synthetic vaccines
Cuban researchers have produced the first synthetic vaccine against pneumonia and meningitis, press reports said on Saturday.
Vicente Verez, head of the University of Havana’s Antigen Research Center, told the Cuban press agency AIN the vaccine would be presented to a biotechnology congress in Havana from 23-28 November.
He said the vaccine was designed to be administered to infants in three doses – at two, four and six months – with a booster at 18 months.
Clinical studies done in Camaguay in central Cuba showed that more than 99% of babies vaccinated developed antibodies against the pneumonia and meningitis viruses as well as other diseases, he said.
Synthetically produced vaccines offer many advantages over conventional vaccines, including enhanced purity and effectiveness. They also have a longer shelf life and can be mass produced, potentially at a lower cost.