07/08/2021 12:48
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 07/08/2021 12:52
The Richmond laboratory received at its plant in the Buenos Aires town of Pilar a new batch of
560 liters of the active principle of component 2
of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus to continue with local production, so they expect to have more than a million ready of second doses for next July 16.
In addition, laboratory sources indicated that with the batches already prepared, they will have
more than 1.3 million doses of component 1
of the Russian vaccine against covid-19
ready by mid-July
.
Through its social networks, the pharmaceutical company announced this Tuesday night that it had finished the first
153,441 doses of component 2
of Sputnik V, of which they sent a sample to the Gamaleya Research Center - developer of the formula - so that carry out the corresponding control.
In addition,
Richmond has produced two batches of component 1
of the vaccine: one of 448,625 doses, which ended on June 18;
and another for 550 thousand doses, which concluded last Friday.
The samples of both batches (80 vials for each batch) are also at the Gamaleya Center, awaiting their approval to begin their distribution.
Weeks ago, the president of the Richmond laboratory, Marcelo Figueiras, had specified: "Gamaleya promised to finish
his final verifications
as soon as possible
, but they have many analyzes to do".
"We have the tranquility of having checked it ourselves and that they gave everything well," the businessman stressed.
It is estimated that the first batch may be
"released" for application next week
after the confirmation of the Gamaleya.
Meanwhile, for the following batches it is expected that the process of sending tests, control by the Russian research center and release to be applied does not exceed twenty days.
By July 16, Richmond expects to have produced
1,362,125 doses of component 1 and 1,005,000 doses of component 2
, which would be key to moving forward with the vaccination plan and to completing the immunization schedules of those who received the first dose. of the Russian vaccine.
Marcelo Figueiras with the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, and the presidential advisor Cecilia Nicolini at the Richmond laboratory plant.
Photo DPA.
/ Clarín Archive.
More than a "bottled"
Currently, the Richmond plant performs the
formulation, filtering and filling of vials
(packaging), a complex technical and scientific process with demanding requirements of good manufacturing practices.
To carry out this process, the laboratory receives the active ingredient of the vaccine made in Gamaleya.
"This process is not a simple 'bottling', it requires
highly complex
and important
technical and scientific knowledge
, and involves the work of many professionals, both for production and control. That is, it is not a mechanical process or simply technological, it is a scientific work ", explained Figueiras.
The next stage will consist of the
complete production
of the vaccine in the new plant that the laboratory is also building in Pilar.
"The new plant is designed to produce up to
500 million doses per year
and there it could be done from the active principle to packaging. That is, complete production," said the president of the Richmond laboratory.
In that sense, he explained that "it will have the ability to make
biotechnological products
and to produce vaccines for different types of platforms, such as Pfizer and Sputnik, which use different technologies."
Developed by the Gamaleya Research Center, Sputnik V is a vaccine that uses a platform (or technology) called
"non-replicative vectors
.
"
These are viruses that
are genetically modified
so that they do not have the capacity to reproduce in the body (and therefore harmless) and are used to transport genetic material of the virus against which one wants to develop immunity.
In this case, Sputnik V uses a
human adenovirus
as a vector and, unlike other vaccines, uses two adenoviruses (one different in each dose) in the search for a greater and more durable response in the immune system.
With information from Télam.
LGP
Look also
The doubts with Sputnik V: why the WHO and the EMA do not approve it
Richmond announced that local production of 153,000 second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine has ended