05/03/2021 4:29 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 05/03/2021 4:29 PM
The Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, held virtual meetings with authorities and businessmen from China and Israel on Monday to negotiate the participation of Argentina in the
development of two other vaccines
against the coronavirus.
The first meeting - in which the presidential advisor Cecilia Nicolini also participated - was held with the Chinese ambassador to Argentina, Zou Xiaoli;
his Argentine counterpart in China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja;
Sinopharm executives from both China and Argentina, and representatives from Sinergium Biotech.
As
Clarín
learned
, the objective of the negotiations is for Argentina
to join the Sinopharm vaccine production chain
, with a strategy similar to the one being applied with the Russian Sputnik V.
The Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, and the presidential adviser, Cecilia Nicolini, held virtual meetings to negotiate the participation of Argentina in the development of two vaccines against the coronavirus.
Photo: Ministry of Health
This means that in a first stage a technology transfer will be carried out to develop
the Sinopharm packaging process
in the country
.
The local process would be carried out in the 20 thousand square meter plant that Sinergium Biotech has in the town of Garín.
Now it is foreseen that the processes of adaptation of supplies and equipment, and quality control will be put in place.
Then, in a one-week stage, the aim is to fully carry out the local production of the vaccine.
Although there are no definite dates, the meeting spoke of
"speeding up the deadlines
.
"
It also emerged that talks were started to send more doses from Beijing until local production is underway, but it will not be immediately since China has closed the export of vaccines.
The Sinergium plant currently produces vaccines against pneumococcus and HPV and influenza.
Last week the last batch of Sinopharm arrived, with which the four million doses that Argentina had acquired were completed.
According to the statement issued from the Ministry of Health, Vizzotti highlighted
"the goodwill"
of both governments and private sector partners, and valued the "strategic relevance" that the country has "the possibility of collaborating and being part of the investigation and the chain of production of vaccines that are used in Argentina and even in Latin America in the medium and long term ”.
Negotiations with Israel
After the meeting with China, Vizzotti and Nicolini had the first contact with the Argentine ambassador to Israel, Sergio Urribarri, and with the Hadassah International team, led by the Argentine doctor Jorge Diner.
Members of the Argentine Ministry of Health and ANMAT also participated.
Last Monday Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR1051 from China arrived in the country with another 371,200 doses of Sinopharm.
Photo: Presidency
In the virtual meeting, they talked about starting the work of cooperation and exchange of experiences in prevention and fight against coronavirus.
As detailed from the Health portfolio, this includes "research and development of vaccines and drugs, epidemiological management, patient care and vaccination campaign."
A visit to Argentina by a team of experts from the Hadassah Hospital, led by Professor Yoram Weiss, is scheduled for next week.
The agenda includes a series of face-to-face meetings with Minister Vizzotti and her team, with expert advisory committees, with ANMAT and with hospital directors, among other actors involved in the management and assistance of the pandemic.
Officials are seeking to launch a process similar to the one being negotiated with China, although the timelines are more uncertain as Israel's vaccine is under development and is not yet being implemented.
Last week, in an interview conducted by the Jewish News Agency, Ambassador Urribarri had anticipated that "the idea is to develop phase 3 of the vaccine in Argentina, for which between 30,000 and 40,000 volunteers would be needed. It is developing phase 2 and its completion is scheduled for the end of this month. "
He also anticipated that "a public-private cooperation model is being sought" for the project.
DD
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