December 01, 15:40 UTC+3

http://en.itar-tass.com/non-political/764502

The vaccines are neither worse nor better than the Western counterparts, says the head of Moscow City Center for Preventing and Fighting AIDS

© ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Smirnov

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. Three HIV/AIDS vaccines have been developed in Russia and can proceed with clinical trials, the head of Moscow City Center for Preventing and Fighting AIDS, Alexei Mazus, told a press conference on Monday.

“There are three Russian vaccines which are neither worse nor better than the Western counterparts. They have only entered their trial stage, but they are ready as a product. Then need to be further tested, but this work will take not just one year. This is a rather expensive effort,” Mazus said.

Three major Russian scientific and research centers of St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Moscow are developing HIV/AIDS vaccines, said Mazus, who is also Russia's Health Ministry non-staff HIV specialist.

“So far, vaccines have been created, and we have managed to keep young scientists in the country, who have received money and worked for us, developing not only the vaccine but the science around this vaccine. In prospect, we will have the leading roles in the world in virology issues,” Mazus said.

As of September 2014, a total of 10 second phase clinical trials for an HIV/AIDS vaccine have been completed. Another 4 third phase trials are ongoing and 3 of them have been completed.

December 1 marks the World AIDS Day. An estimated 35 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Over the past 25 years, Russia has seen a dramatic rise in the number of HIV/AIDS cases. The number of HIV/AIDS-infected people has increased from 30 in 1988 when the first HIV/AIDS case was registered in Russia to more than 860,000 HIV-infected people in 2014.

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IZAKOVIC