Biopharmaceutical company Nanolek has received the permission to conduct randomized clinical studies of a new varicella vaccine in children aged 9 months and older.

The clinical studies will be conducted in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Saratov, Perm, and Pyatigorsk at seven research centers, including N.F. Filatov Clinical Institute of Children's Health, Sechenov University of the Russian Ministry of Health, the Research Institute of Pediatrics and Children's Health of N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, and the Children's Scientific and Clinical Center for Infectious Diseases of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency.

The vaccine will enter the Russian market as a result of the cooperation between Nanolek and the South Korean biopharmaceutical company GC Biopharma. In February 2023, the vaccine passed the WHO prequalification procedure, which confirms its compliance with international standards of efficacy and safety. The registration of the vaccine in the Russian Federation is expected in 2026–2027.

Varicella is one of the most common infections in the world. It can cause severe complications, especially in children under one year and in adults.

In accordance with the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Strategy for the Development of Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases until 2035 assumes inclusion of the vaccination against varicella into the National Vaccination Schedule (NVS) in 2027. One of the main criteria for expanding the NVS is the organization of a full-cycle vaccine manufacture at domestic sites. Thanks to Nanolek, the vaccination against varicella will become more accessible to children in Russia.