Specialists at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology are leading the way in developing targeted drugs to combat different types of botulinum toxin, the culprit behind botulism. Dmitry Shcheblyakov, the head of the Center’s Immunobiotechnology Laboratory and one of the main developers of the drug, has announced this achievement.
On June 26, the Russian Ministry of Health authorized clinical trials for a new drug developed by the center to neutralize botulinum toxin type A. Shcheblyakov explained that the new drug is specifically designed for the prevention and treatment of botulinum toxin type A, emphasizing that it will not be effective against other types of toxins. As a result, separate vaccines are being developed for those.
“We have drugs in development for other types of toxin. It’s still in preclinical [trials], that is, now the drug will only go to the clinic for type A, and then we are developing monoclonal antibodies for other types of toxin,” Shcheblyakov said.
