Medicine:COVIran Barakat

COVIran Barakat

Vaccine description
Target disease	SARS-CoV-2
Type	Killed/Inactivated
Clinical data
Routes of administration	Intramuscular
ATC code	None

COVIran Barakat is a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Iranian state-owned Shifa Pharmed Industrial Group. It has successfully been tested on animals and has been approved by the Iran Food and Drug Administration for testing on humans. Phase 2/3 (II/III) clinical trial began on 13 March 2021, and the first participants were inoculated on March 29.

Minoo Mohraz is in charge of the "Corona vaccine project in Iran". She is an Iranian physician, researcher and AIDS specialist. She is a Full Professor (Emeritus) of Infectious Diseases at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and head of the Iranian Centre for HIV/AIDS. Mohraz also as an World Health Organization expert on AIDS in Iran and the Eastern Mediterranean region is researching.

Technology

On 29 December 2020, human trials of Iran's first domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate were started. The mechanism of production of this vaccine is based on the inactivated vaccine. In other words, "it is made of a coronavirus that has been weakened or killed by chemicals, similar to how polio immunizations are made."

Development

Iran's first domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate was started

Tayyebeh Mokhber, the first volunteer who receives a shot of COVIran Barakat was the daughter of Mohammad Mokhber director of setad. Minister of Health Saeed Namaki and Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari participated at the ceremony of vaccine injection. According to reports, there are more than 65,000 Iranians volunteered to test the vaccine and 56 selected people took part in the first phase of human trials which last 45 to 60 days. The initial phase of human-testing for this vaccine started with the injection of 56 volunteers who were at the age of 18-50.

The second/third group of volunteers were also injected with the vaccine. According to the head of the vaccine production team at the Setad, the results show that this vaccine also neutralizes the British mutated COVID-19 virus.

In March 2021, the Executive Office of Imam Khomeini's Order began a Phase II–III clinical trial of COVIran Barakat with 280 participants in cities including Tehran, Mashhad, Karaj, Esfahan, Shiraz. According to the allowance of medical equipment department, the second phase coincided with third phase. The vaccine has reached its third phase of human-testing; and the first injection(s) of the 3rd phase began 25 April 2021.

As official in charge of manufacturing Iran Barakat vaccines, Mohammad Reza Salehi said, “some neighboring countries tend to enter the third phase of the clinical trial of the Iranian "COVIran Barakat"”. They are reviewing recommendations to let them participate.

Production

According to Setad ( the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Directive), under the direct control of the Supreme Leader of Iran, "production of the vaccine developed by one of its companies, Shifa Pharmed, could reach 12 million doses per month, six months after a successful trial ends". On 15 March 2021, he stated that EIKO has already a capacity of three million doses per month and that by end of June the capacity will be 15-20 million doses per month.

On 29 March 2021, the Tehran Times reported that a capacity of three million doses per month was achieved; and the production line of 25 million doses per month of Iran Koo vaccine was discharged on 26 April 2021.

On 10 May 2021, the first product of mass production of the Iranian corona vaccine called "COVIran Barakat" was unveiled in phase one of the vaccine production factory associated with Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO). Therefore, 2 industrial lines have been set up. The first production line is prepared and the second line is being prepared. By the end of September (taking into account the capacity of three million doses of the first line), 20 million doses of Iran Barakat vaccine will be available in the month.