Covid vaccines, here are those who are betting on China and Russia
Turkey, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates rely on Chinese vaccines, while Israel and Hungary have booked the Russian drug. The EU and the US await the green light for the vaccines from Astrazeneca, Moderna and Pfizer
While the USA and Europe await the arrival of the vaccines from the American companies Moderna and Pfizer, which have already requested authorization for their emergency use, and that of the English AstraZeneca, China has already started its vaccination campaign despite the testing of continuous medications. Turkey also relies on Chinese vaccines, in addition to Brazil.
At an advanced stage of development there is also the Russian vaccine, already registered, and booked by Israel and Hungary. Let's go step by step.
THE CHINESE VACCINES
Five vaccines have reached clinical phase 3 in China. The latest was developed by Anhui ZhifeiLongcom , a subsidiary of Chongqing Zhifei Biological, listed in Shenzhen. Sinovac's vaccine, developed in collaboration with the Butantan Institute of São Paulo (Brazil) and which is based on inactivated virus technology, has been shown to be 86% effective. The vaccine activates a fast immune response.
A good immune response was also recorded, in the first and second phase clinical tests, by the two classic vaccines produced by Sinopharm, in collaboration, respectively, with the Wuhan Institute and the Beijing Institute. The drugs are currently being tested 3 and are part of the Chinese emergency administration program. Emergency administration also authorized for the fourth Chinese vaccine, the one produced by Cansino Biologics. The drug uses a non-replicating viral vector (there are no drugs on the market made with this technology).
VACCINATION CAMPAIGN STARTED
With the authorizations for emergency use, therefore, the vaccination campaign in China has practically started. The president of the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm said that "nearly one million people" have already received the immunizer inoculation "for emergency reasons". Sinovac and Cansino vaccines were also inoculated.
TURKEY WANTS CHINA VACCINES
China-branded drugs will also be used by Turkey , which plans to start the vaccination campaign as early as 11 December, thanks to the arrival of 20 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine. And Sinovac also undertakes to send another 20 million vials in January and 10 million in February. Up to now, the Chinese vaccine has been administered to 12,450 volunteers in 12 provinces of Turkey including health personnel and ordinary citizens aged between 18 and 59 years.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The United Arab Emirates are also betting on Chinese medicines. The country has registered the experimental vaccine from China's Sinopharm, whose effectiveness has stood at 86% against Covid-19.
THE RUSSIAN VACCINE
The Russian vaccine is also looking beyond the country's borders, as Moscow prepares for mass production and starts domestic vaccination (it has already been administered to 150,000 people) . In fact, in recent days, the Russian Sovereign Fund for Direct Investments, Rdfi, has signed an agreement with Hetero , one of India's leading generic pharmaceutical companies, for the production of over 100 million doses per year of the Sputnik V vaccine. .
The vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Center, and with an announced efficacy of 95% , is based on "two different vectors based on the human adenovirus, allowing for a stronger and longer-term immune response than vaccines using the same vector for two doses ”, explains the Sovereign Fund.
ISRAEL HAS ALREADY ORDERED RUSSIAN VACCINE
Sputnik V, which has not yet arrived on the tables of EMA and FDA, inspires Israel's confidence. Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem has already ordered 1.5 million doses.
HUNGARY BOOK MOSCOW VACCINE
Viktor Orban's Hungary is also relying on Russian drugs. The doses have already arrived in Budapest. “We are the first EU country to receive these doses”, announced Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Even on the vaccine, therefore, Hungary is freeing itself from the EU.
ARGENTINA
Argentina, which already has a purchase agreement with Astrazeneca and Covax, has signed an agreement with a Russian Direct Investment Fund to vaccinate more than ten million people between January and February. The first delivery of the Sputnik vaccine, equivalent to 300,000 doses, is expected to arrive by the end of the year. “We have signed the contract with the Sovereign Fund of the Russian Federation which guarantees the supply of Russian vaccines for Argentina”, announced the president from Casa Rosada, the seat of the Executive.
EU ASKS FOR INFORMATION, BUT MOSCOW DOES NOT REPLY
Brussels also reportedly asked about the Russian vaccine, but Moscow did not respond . This was revealed by the European Commission, in the minutes of the meeting of the college of commissioners of 11 November, consulted by the Adnkronos , a meeting in which the strengthening of the powers of the ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, was discussed very limited.
"Requests for information to the Russian authorities regarding their vaccine went unanswered, even if the disclosure of those data is essential for the use of a similar vaccine in the EU". In other words, in the absence of data for the EMA it is impossible to authorize a vaccine 'on trust', said the commissioner, according to the summary provided by the report.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/vaccini-anti-covid-ecco-chi-punta-su-cina-e-russia/ on Sun, 13 Dec 2020 07:16:52 +0000.