The Gamaleya Center has developed a rabies vaccine called GamRabiVac. The new drug is administered once, which distinguishes it from traditional inactivated rabies vaccines. According to the Union of Doctors, this is an adenoviral vector-based vaccine, like Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. According to the publication, the first stage of the research was estimated at 4.4 million rubles.
The development of the vaccine and its trials are carried out under a state assignment approved by the Ministry of Health. The drug is currently undergoing preclinical studies, and is expected to enter the market after 2026. At the first stage, experts plan to evaluate the general toxicity of the drug. If the results are satisfactory, the vaccine will be tested on volunteers.
Rabies is a highly dangerous viral infection, with a nearly 100% mortality rate once symptoms appear. The only protective measures are post-exposure emergency vaccination following a bite from an infected animal or pre-exposure vaccination for individuals at risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies kills 59,000 people every year. In Russia, approximately 330,000 people seek medical care each year following animal bites.
The vaccines registered in Russia today—KOKAV and Concentrated Purified Inactivated Rabies Culture Vaccine—require three to six injections, and their production involves risks due to working with live viruses and complex inactivation technologies.
Inactivated vaccines (RabAvert, VERORAB, etc.) used worldwide also require repeated administration. Vector vaccines are currently used only in animals, such as RABORAL, which is based on the smallpox vaccine virus. The development of a single-dose vaccine like GamRabiVac may simplify immunization protocols and decrease production challenges.
