03/26/2021 10:55 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 03/26/2021 10:55
Brazil
announced this Friday the creation of its first nationally manufactured vaccine against Covid-19, Butanvac, developed by the state-run Butantan Institute in São Paulo.
And he affirmed that he awaits the authorization of the regulatory entities to
immediately begin testing in humans
, as anticipated by the governor of that state, Joao Doria.
If the trials progress satisfactorily, manufacturing could begin in May and before the end of the year, some 40 million doses could be available, Doria said.
"It is a historic announcement for the world. The 100% national vaccine, with promising tests and the fruit of the work of a 120-year-old institution, which is the largest producer of vaccines in the Southern Hemisphere," said Doria at a press conference. at the headquarters of the laboratory in the capital of São Paulo.
Earlier, on his Twitter profile, Doria had anticipated the news in a video released after the meeting with the director of the Butantan Institute, Dimas Covas, which lasted until dawn.
The burial of a victim of the coronavirus, in a cemetery in San Pablo, this Thursday.
Photo: AFP
"We have spectacular news, which fills us with hope in relation to health, science and life. The result of the work of the Butantan scientists over several months of dedication and that we will be presenting to the scientific community of Brazil and international, "said the governor.
Covas indicated in the same video that the development of the purely Brazilian vaccine, which will
not depend on the importation of inputs for its manufacture,
is "a great contribution and will make a difference in the course of the epidemic and will help us fight it. all over the world".
"Today we will archive this material and we will have an intense dialogue with Anvisa (the National Health Surveillance Agency, regulator) so that it realizes the importance of authorizing the start of these clinical studies as soon as possible, so that in a month and a half, two and a half months at the most, we can finish this evaluation phase, "said Covas.
From the beginning of the pandemic we are struggling to vaccinate all Brazilians.
Agora, like ButanVac, a 100% Brazilian woman produced hair @butantanoficial, this Luta is about to be defeated.
We will send an order to @anvisa_oficial for the final testes.https: //t.co/ghFrQ5vmhc
- João Doria (@jdoriajr) March 26, 2021
The Butantan Institute currently packages and also develops the production of the Coronavac vaccine, from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, which serves 90% of vaccination in Brazil.
The remaining 10% is with the immunizer from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical AstraZeneca and the British University of Oxford.
The same institution carries out clinical studies in Brazil, authorized by the regulatory body, in order to test a serum made from a virus inactivated by radiation and applied to horses, which produces IgG antibodies and whose blood was extracted and purified with a technique used also for decades.
The details of the new vaccine
At the press conference on Friday, Covas explained that the "new vaccine" will be developed from the "same technology" used for the flu immunizer, used for decades by that immune center.
"There is no vaccine (anticovid) in the world produced in embryonic egg and it will have a much lower cost than those that are being used," said Covas, who indicated that Vietnam and Thailand participate in the consortium for the immunizer, countries in which human clinical trials will also be carried out.
"Our commitment is to offer this vaccine for low and middle income countries, which is where we need to fight the pandemic. The pandemic may be under control in North America and Europe, but the virus will continue in countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America," he added the director of Butantan, who did not detail the costs of the project.
Without "interfering" in the process and the schedule of Coronavac, Doria emphasized, the Butantan Institute "already has a production capacity of 160 million per year, with different types of vaccines."
But, he added: "In May we will be able to produce 40 million of the new one and
we hope to start applying it in the second half of this year
."
v 1.5
The variants of covid -19 present in America
Countries and territories in which cases of the new British, South African and Brazilian strains were detected
Tap to explore the data
Source:
AFP
Infographic:
Clarín
"The request to Anvisa will be immediate, with a sense of urgency and respect for millions of Brazilians, and we will also send today (Friday) to the World Health Organization (WHO) all the documentation to accompany this process in all its phases, "stressed Doria.
The new immunizer, according to the state laboratory, already contemplates its efficacy in the variants of covid-19, such as the Amazon discovered in Brazil, which in thirteen months of pandemic totals 12.3 million confirmed cases and more than 303,000 deaths from coronavirus.
"It is a vaccine primarily for Brazilians, but later we will serve other sister and friendly nations, such as those of the Latin American continent, the two technological allies we have and those who want it," said Doria.
Earlier this month, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of the world leaders most skeptical of the severity of the pandemic - hard at odds with Doria, promoter of confinement measures to curb infections - had indicated that there are fifteen projects. study in laboratories and Brazilian universities to produce a national vaccine and the three most advanced were shared with Israel.
Source: EFE and DPA
CB
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