Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (Feb 14) said scientists in his country were on the precipice of creating vaccines to cure cancer that could soon be available to patients.
Speaking at a Moscow forum on future technologies, Putin made the rather remarkable claim that may have the potential to revolutionise the medical field.
“We have come very close to the creation of so-called cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory drugs of a new generation,” said Putin in the televised address.
“I hope that soon they will be effectively used as methods of individual therapy,” Putin added, although he did not specify which type pf cancer the proposed vaccines would target.
While a number of countries have been working to develop cancer vaccines, it is the first time that any state of head has made such a bold claim.
In the UK, the Tory government last year signed an agreement with Germany-based BioNTech to launch clinical trials providing “personalised cancer treatments”, aiming to reach 10,000 patients by 2030.
Meanwhile, US pharma giants Moderna and Merck & Co, during the mid-stage study of a cancer vaccine said it cut the chance of recurrence or death from melanoma – the most deadly skin cancer – by half after three years of treatment.
Russia developing a vaccine for cancer should not come as a surprise. During the coronavirus pandemic, Moscow developed the Sputnik vaccine which showed encouraging efficacy results when administered to the general public.
Putin himself said he had taken Sputnik, in a bid to assure people of its efficacy and safety. Consequently, the vaccine was sold to a number of countries across the globe.
For the major part of last year, western media reports claimed that Putin had contracted cancer and that his health was deteriorating.
A video went viral on social media that showed Putin being unable to control his twitching feet during a conversation with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
However, putting the rumour mills to rest, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in October, denied the claims, adding that Putin was fit and well.
“I can tell you that he has no doubles, and with regards to work and so on, this is already an absurd informational hoax that is discussed by some media with vigorous tenacity. It makes me nothing but smile,” Peskov said.
(With inputs from agencies)
