Brazilian Health Ministry Welcomes Chinese and Russian Officials to Discuss Vaccines

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In addition to forwarding the agreement to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) to manufacture the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the federal government has welcomed officials from other countries interested in exporting vaccines to Brazil to immunize the population against Covid-19.

Last Tuesday, August 4th, the Ministry of Health held a meeting with the Chinese company Sinopharm. In the afternoon, the talks focused on the vaccine developed by Russia, with officials from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and experts from the Brazilian government. On Tuesday, August 11th, President Vladimir Putin said Russia has become the first country in the world to approve regulations for the vaccine’s use.

The Ministry of Health inquired about the features of each vaccine, production price estimates, and expressed interest in maintaining talks on drug development. Fiocruz representatives also expressed interest in supporting clinical research for these vaccines in Brazil.

The government of Paraná state is discussing a partnership to develop both vaccines through the Paraná Institute of Technology (TECPAR).

Studies on the Russian vaccine raise questions among the scientific community. The vaccine research is in its third phase, the last and most critical step in the production of a vaccine, says the Putin government. However, the drug developers have not released studies in any scientific journal on its results, duration, and details of the preceding phases. In addition, the vaccine was approved less than two months after human trials began.

A federal government official attending meetings on partnerships for the production of the Covid-19 vaccine said that there is a lack of confidence in the Russian drug. The Ministry noted interest in maintaining dialog with the Putin government but requested more consistent data on studies to manufacture the drug.

He noted that the Russian vaccine is in “phase 1” according to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.). At this stage, the National Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) would not accept registering the drug, as it would first have to undergo trials on thousands of people to assess its efficacy and safety.

The W.H.O. points out that six vaccines are now in phase 3 research, the last stage before the request for registering the drug.

The Brazilian federal government’s bet, for now, is on the model developed by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The Ministry hopes to be provided with 100 million doses of this vaccine, the production technology for which is to be transferred to the Bio-Manguinhos Institute, a Fiocruz unit. A first batch of 15 million doses is expected in January. Last Thursday, August 6th, President Jair Bolsonaro released approximately R$2 billion, through a Provisional Neasure, to finance the drug’s production at Fiocruz.

Marco Krieger, Fiocruz’s vice-president of Production and Innovation in Health, said that despite the fast pace of clinical trials, the government will not waive the efficacy and safety of vaccines. “Despite swift protocols to address the pandemic, studies are conducted in consultation with regulatory agencies, such as ANVISA. All phases will be conducted: 1, 2, and 3. And with a minimum number of patients tested,” said Krieger, who is involved in the federal government negotiations on vaccine procurement.

Bolsonaro criticizes Chinese vaccine

President Jair Bolsonaro has indirectly criticized the initiative of the São Paulo governor, João Doria, in negotiating with the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech to receive the CoronaVac, also in trials against Covid-19.

“The most important thing, different from the other vaccine that a Governor decided to agree with another country, is the technology coming to us,” said Bolsonaro last Thursday, August 6th.

Despite Bolsonaro’s statements, the national secretary of Health Regulation, Arnaldo Correa de Medeiros, said last Wednesday, August 5th, that the federal government intends to buy “the first vaccine that reaches the market,” regardless of the country that produces it.

In a hearing at the Chamber of Deputies, Medeiros said he will visit the Butantan Institute, which is involved in the development of the Coronavac vaccine together with the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo

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