Irene Hartmann
06/15/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 06/15/2021 6:00 AM
"I don't know what you mean by 'plan', but you have to look at the developments with sufficient scientific evidence to evaluate the strategies already thinking about the following year."
The "
next year
" of
Juan Manuel Castelli
(Undersecretary of Health Strategies of the Ministry of Health of the Nation) is
2022
.
As no one would risk a "coronavirus-free" date for these hours, governments are careful to incorporate what in the sector they call
second-generation vaccines
.
We talked about those laboratory developments aimed at improving immunization strategies that they themselves or others had brought to the market when the now ubiquitous SARS-CoV-2 appeared.
Although in general lines it is understood that the new round of vaccines should be an
upgrade
with respect to those already approved, for
Ricardo Rüttimann
, infectologist of the Center for Infectious Studies Foundation (Funcei) and member of the National Immunization Commission (CoNaIn), "You have to see how you define them ... what do you understand by second generation".
“If we define them as
vaccines against the new variants of concern
, the first thing to say is that it is too early to know if we are really going to need them.
If, instead, we define them as new vaccination alternatives
n, it could be thinking of including developments that encompass sectors of the population such as
children and adolescents
”, he clarified.
Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, two brands that for now Argentina does not have to combat Covid.
/ AP
Assuming that the Government is - as it assures - moving forward to face the
new turns that the Covid could take in the future
, the first question that arises is how.
How they will do it.
That is, are you considering administering, for example, a
third
booster
dose
if there is a decline in immunity in those who were vaccinated in early 2021?
Instead, are you evaluating vaccinating everyone with a second "zero" schedule before next fall?
Or perhaps they plan to incorporate second-generation vaccines into the current campaign, to deal with the variants of concern, such as the famous “Delta” that is appearing in England?
Strategies
Although the dynamism of the pandemic prevents for now having really "a plan" beyond the known immediate objectives, one of the strategies they are looking closely at concerns
interchangeability between platforms
.
That is, Castelli explained, "using two different platforms that, combined, give a much more important immune response against Covid variants."
But not only that, clarified
Daniela Hozbor
, "vaccinologist" at the Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (IBBM) and professor at UNLP.
According to her, one of the greatest advantages of this strategy is its “
versatility
”.
In this parody of English activists, the main leaders of the G7 countries fight for a great vaccine against Covid.
/ AP
In other words, “a party from AstraZeneca arrives and one has people vaccinated with Sputnik.
Well, if you can combine them, you make a better and faster use of the available resources ”.
In his talk with this medium, Castelli named (and one supposes that the Government is then looking closely at them) a couple of brands of second-generation vaccines themselves, such as
Curevac
(from Bayer, with an mRNA platform, which carries out a trial phase 3 in Argentina) and
Moderna
, which is renewing its successful development to face the variants of concern.
Also other more “classic” ones, such as the vaccine from China
Cansino
and the one of Indian origin
Covaxin
, from Bharat Biotech.
However, in a previous meeting with journalists, the official had shown an interest in Argentina being a "magnet" for more phase 3 studies, in order to draw
convenient pre-purchase agreements
.
It did not happen with Pfizer, but the Ministry led by Carla Vizzotti is confident in the usefulness of that strategy.
Although Castelli did not confirm specific negotiations, he clarified that, “regarding offers to do phase 3 here, they spoke with the delegation that came from Israel, and there is also a vaccine from the United States from a laboratory called
Inovio
,
that is being evaluated ”.
Inovio's is a DNA-based vaccine, but with a particularity: it is applied through a portable device that
delivers electrical pulses to the skin
.
This generated some
controversy
in the United States and delays in FDA approval for trials.
According to
The New York Times
, as the company failed to pass phase 2 in the United States, it announced that it would continue phase 3 of its study in Asia and Latin America ...
For Castelli, “whether or not phase 3 is done here does not depend on the national State.
One can facilitate or stimulate the companies, propose it, but they are the ones who have to make presentations at ANMAT, and if everything is correct, they move forward with the investigations, as Sinopharm or Pfizer did at the time ”.
Dates to receive more advanced vaccines?
For Castelli, "first you have to see if the vaccines are going to be, indeed, more advanced. You have to have the evidence."
Now, what brand would you like to add to the small Argentine portfolio of vaccines against Covid?
“
Any vaccine you can add
.
Anything that can be offered so that we have it early and in a staggered way is welcome, "he said.
Protein subunit
When
Clarín
told Rüttimann about his talk with Castelli about second-generation vaccines, the CoNaIn infectologist recalled the following: “Sure.
When we discussed it with Castelli, we thought of
vaccines in protein subunits
, such as hepatitis B or HPV. "
"A recombinant protein is used, and generally an aluminum hydroxide adjuvant is coupled to it," he explained.
Covid vaccination center in La Rural, city of Buenos Aires.
Photo: Lucia Merle
The doctor clarified that “there is an interesting group of vaccines for coronavirus with proteins, but
commercially there are none.
Novavax
was about to leave, but it is difficult.
There are many with a ninety-odd percent efficiency. "
Others who are watching with interest - said the doctor - are
the Cuban ones
, also based on protein subunits.
For him, "the bar is very high, which makes the industry think twice about whether it is worth competing with other developments. This is also why there are
delays in the production of second-generation vaccines
."
The advantage of this platform is that “they generate a good level of neutralizing antibodies, which suggests that they could be administered in
a single dose
.
In addition,
adolescents
respond very well to this type of vaccination ”, he assured.
But if one speaks of the second generation, Rüttimann pointed out that those that use
mRNA
(such as Pfizer, Moderna or Curevac)
cannot be avoided
: “They are the most attractive because they allow a
much faster
adaptation
.
In
less than two weeks you
can have the structure encoded, if a new variant emerges. "
Pancoronavirus
Daniela Hozbor is a scientist fully committed to the world of vaccines.
From his point of view, “it is very difficult to predict what will happen from now on.
It cannot be ruled out that a third
booster
dose will be added at the end of the year
, but
neither can it be asserted that the immunity of the current vaccines will decrease
.
It is not known ”.
They are two sides of the same coin, he explained: "The duration of immunity depends on the response it generates in you, but also on the evolution of the pathogen. We must not forget that
no vaccine has finished phase 3.
We do not know how long the immunity. One has a clue, but in vaccines you have to see it. "
For her, others that promise to give a good revenge are the
pancoronavirus vaccines
: “They have the ability to cope with a good level of efficacy for all variants.
And not only that: they also include
other coronaviruses
, such as MERS ”.
In short, Hozbor concluded, with a gourmet air: “Those who developed vaccines with the first waves, designed them based on what they had seen.
Those that come are already thought with another head.
You say 'I
would have to put this
' or '
that
'.
Maybe you work on the same platform, but with modifications.
Maybe not.
You ask your vaccine for more things.
You put other seasonings in it ”.
$
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