Geneva (AFP)

The World Health Organization reacted cautiously to Russia's announcement on Tuesday of the development of a vaccine against Covid-19, recalling that the "prequalification" and approval of a vaccine was passing by "rigorous" procedures

"We are in close contact with the Russians and discussions are continuing. The prequalification of any vaccine goes through rigorous procedures," said Tarik Jasarevic, WHO spokesperson, during a video conference of press, after being questioned about the announcement by the Russian president that Russia had developed the "first vaccine" against the new coronavirus.

"Prequalification includes the review and evaluation of all required safety and efficacy data collected in clinical trials," he recalled, stressing that the process would be the same for any vaccine candidate. .

In addition to the validations granted in each country by the national agencies, "WHO has put in place a prequalification process for vaccines but also for drugs. Manufacturers request WHO prequalification because it is is a kind of guarantee of quality, ”he insisted.

So far, Russia has not published a detailed study of the results of its trials to establish the effectiveness of the products it says it has developed.

Last week the WHO was dubious when Russia said its vaccine was almost ready, recalling that any pharmaceutical product must "be subjected to all the different trials and tests before being approved for deployment", and not to have "seen anything official".

For now "it is vital to apply public health measures that work. We must continue to invest in the development of vaccines and treatments that will help us reduce transmission in the future," the door also said. - spoke, saying "encouraged by the speed at which certain vaccine candidates are being developed".

"We hope that some of these vaccines will prove to be safe and effective," Tarik Jasarevic continued.

According to the WHO, 26 vaccine candidates are in the clinical trial stage (tested in humans) around the world and 139 in the pre-clinical evaluation stage.

Among the 26, six had reached phase 3 of their development by the end of July. The one developed by the Russian center Gamaleïa was listed in phase 1.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Russia had developed the "first" vaccine against the new coronavirus, assuring that it gave "lasting immunity" and that one of his daughters had been inoculated.

Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko specified that "clinical trials on several thousand people will continue".

© 2020 AFP