Vladimir Putin announces Russia close to creating cancer vaccines

According to Reuters, currently, several countries and companies are working on cancer vaccines. The United Kingdom government signed an agreement with a Germany-based biotechnology company BioNTech last year. The objective of signing the agreement was to launch clinical trials providing "personalised cancer treatments", aiming to reach up to 10,000 patients by 2030, reported Reuters.

Additionally, pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna and Merck & Co are on the path of developing an experimental cancer vaccine that a mid-stage study has shown to cut chances of recurrence or death from melanoma, according to Reuters. Melanoma is considered the deadliest form of skin cancer.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are six licensed vaccines against human papillomaviruses (HPV). But these vaccines also cause many cancers, including cervical cancer. Additionally, the vaccines against hepatitis B (HBV) may lead to liver cancer, according to WHO.

During the Coronavirus pandemic worldwide, Russia was the country that developed its own Sputnik V vaccine to fight against COVID-19. Following the development, Russia also sold the Sputnik V vaccine to several countries. However, domestically the vaccine ran up against the widespread public reluctance to get vaccinated, reported Reuters. President Putin claimed that he had taken Sputnik V to assure people of its efficacy and safety.