08/20/2020 - 9:23
- Clarín.com
- Politics
President Alberto Fernández held a video conference on Thursday with the CEO of the AstraZeneca laboratory , which developed the coronavirus vaccine to be manufactured in Argentina in conjunction with Mexico. In the videoconference, as reported by the Government, Pascal Soriot confirmed to the President that the "Phase 3" studies that will determine whether the vaccine can be used will be ready by November .
However, sources from the Argentine laboratory that will manufacture the active component of the vaccine told Clarín that production will begin even before that date , in order to have a list - in case it is approved by the health authorities of the European Union and the United States- the vaccine and distribute it in Latin America during the first half of 2021.
Phase 3 studies are the last stage of the drug approval process, after testing in animals and later in sick and healthy humans. Today, that vaccine is being tested in populations in Brazil and South Africa , among other countries, although it does not yet have final approval.
As officially reported, the president communicated around noon with the global CEO of AstraZeneca, who is in charge of the Swedish-English company that developed the vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus together with the University of Oxford .
"Everything has been finalized: that the vaccine is a reality, that it is not for profit, that it be produced in Argentina, that it be made in conjunction with Mexico and be a solution for Latin America," said the president.
And he added: "We are happy to be part of a project of this nature, the future of society is in the development of science and technology ."
Today I spoke with Pascal Soriot, global CEO of the AstraZeneca laboratory, which will develop the active principle of the Covid-19 vaccine in Argentina.
We are happy to be part of this project, which is not for profit and which will be a solution for Latin America. pic.twitter.com/qocMI545b8
Argentina will play a central role in the manufacture of the vaccine, which is pending approval before the health authorities of the European Union and the FDA, the body that regulates drugs in the United States, and which usually sets the standard. world.
AstraZeneca transferred the technology to the Mabxience laboratory -of Argentine businessman Hugo Sigman- so that in the coming months the active ingredient of the vaccine necessary to manufacture between 200 million and 250 million doses will be produced at its plant located in Garin .
From that Mabxience plant, the vaccines will travel in sachets to the Liomont laboratory, located in Mexico, where they will be divided and packaged in the glass vials that contain each dose of vaccine. Those doses will be sold by Astra Zeneca at between 3 and 4 dollars per unit to all the governments of Latin America except Brazil, which has its own circuit.
During the communication from the Olivos residence, the President highlighted AstraZeneca for "having managed to link all these entities to make this a reality, it is not easy to do that in the world in crisis", while expressing his gratitude "for having thought of Argentina ” .
In the last hours, the Government assured that it had 17 countries interested in accessing the vaccine, among which Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela stand out.
President Alberto Fernández, in videoconference from Olivos. Photo DPA.
Of the total number of vaccines to be produced, the Government reported that some 22,400,000 doses will be destined for health and security personnel, the elderly and people in risk groups. And that the intention is to supply Argentina and other Latin American countries from the first semester of 2021 , subject to the results of Phase III studies and regulatory approvals.
For his part, the global CEO of AstraZeneca assured that “it is encouraging that Argentina and Mexico are partnering for the benefit of all in Latin America” since “it is an example of strong leadership . ” And he said that “having worked with many governments in the world can say that the Argentina-Mexico alliance has been one of the best, and the joint work was very efficient and fluid.
"We want to ensure that this vaccine has equitable access and reaches everyone without profit," Soriot agreed and said: "The world is a great and unique place, we have to protect everyone to fight against the disease."
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