Putin’s Unusual TV Appearance: Claims Russia Nearing Breakthrough in Cancer Vaccines
In his most recent televised press conference, President Vladimir Putin shared that Russian scientists are making significant progress in developing cancer vaccines that may soon be accessible to patients.
According to Putin, significant progress has been made in the development of advanced cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory drugs.
Amidst the global health crisis, Russia successfully created the Sputnik V vaccine to combat COVID-19 and distributed it to several nations. However, within its own borders, there was significant hesitancy among the public to receive the vaccine. Putin himself claimed to have taken Sputnik.
Several countries and companies are currently focused on developing cancer vaccines. Last year, the UK government entered into a partnership with BioNTech, a Germany-based company, to initiate clinical trials for “personalized cancer treatments”. The objective is to cater to 10,000 patients by 2030.
Moderna and Merck’s Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise in Mid-Stage Study
Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Merck & Co are working on an innovative cancer vaccine that has shown promising results in a mid-stage study. The vaccine has demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence or death from melanoma, a highly lethal form of skin cancer, after three years of treatment.
Speaking at a Moscow forum on future technologies, he expressed his hope that these methods would soon be effectively used as individual therapy.
According to the World Health Organization, there are currently six licensed vaccines available for human papillomaviruses (HPV) that are known to cause various cancers, including cervical cancer. Additionally, there are vaccines against hepatitis B (HBV), which is associated with the development of liver cancer.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Kremlin was questioned about a potential prisoner exchange with the United States. The Kremlin reiterated its stance that these matters should be handled discreetly, indicating that it will refrain from commenting on the progress of negotiations.
Former Marine Paul Whelan and reporter Evan Gershkovich, who are currently held in Russian prisons on spy charges they deny, are being sought for release by the United States. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that he had a rare phone call with Whelan.
When questioned about the possibility of an exchange, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, referred to President Vladimir Putin’s recent interview where he emphasized the importance of handling such matters with discretion and resolving them in a quiet manner.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson last week, Putin made a suggestion that Moscow wanted Germany to release Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin, in exchange for Gershkovich.
