Following Brazil’s Refusal to Authorize Sputnik V Vaccine, Russia Says It Is Willing To Provide Information

Russia is willing to provide Brazil with the information it needs to get the country’s health regulator to authorize the supply and use of Russia’s Sputnik V anti-virus vaccine, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

“The contacts will continue. If there is not enough data, it will be provided, without a doubtRussian presidency spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily press conference call.

Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa, regulator) Monday disowned emergency importation of Russian vaccine, considering that the application for its use does not have the documentation that was required from other manufacturers.

The Kremlin spokesman argued that there was already enough information about the effectiveness of the Russian vaccine, What comes from 97.6% according to data collected by the developers on the basis of the infection rate recorded in those who were vaccinated in Russia with the two components between December 5, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

“The experience is already very extensive. A lot of data has been gathered to indicate that it is the most effective and reliable vaccine in the world.Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman pointed out that the external demand of Sputnik V, which has been registered in 61 countries to dateIt is very high and those who participate in its production “work in emergency mode” and those who have contacts abroad to market and manufacture it as well.

The president of Anvisa, Antonio Barra Torres, indicated that the Russian manufacturer had not submitted the “full technical report” of the immunizer, which lacks approval in Japan, Europe and the United States, countries which , in this type of situation, would automatically approve the approval of any drug in Brazil. The presentation of vaccine registration granted by the Russian Ministry of Health and the governments of countries like Mexico and Argentina lacked the “basic” information required by Brazilian health authorities and, according to Barra Torres, a technical visit to the facilities was prevented from the Gamaleya Institute, which is developing the preparation.

In an attempt to speed up their vaccination plans, a dozen states in northern and northeastern Brazil signed contracts with the Russian Sovereign Fund (RDIF), which funded the development of Sputnik V, to acquire more than 30 million doses. The Brazilian federal government has also acquired an additional 10 million.

Gamaleya Response

Manufacturers of the Russian vaccine denounced the Brazilian government’s decision as a “political” measure.

“The delays by Anvisa (the Brazilian health regulatory agency) in approving Sputnik V are unfortunately political in nature and have nothing to do with access to information or scientific aspects,” reads. on the Russian vaccine Twitter account.

Additionally, the developers blamed Washington for this move. “The US Department of Health, in its 2020 annual report several months ago, publicly stated that the US health attaché” convinced Brazil to reject the Russian vaccine, “” they added.

The Sputnik V vaccine is given in countries other than Russia, such as Mexico, Argentina or Venezuela. According to the Russian Gamaleïa Institute, which created the vaccine, it has been approved in more than 60 countries. In February, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet reported that its effectiveness was 91.6%, a figure that dispelled doubts about its reliability.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

KEEP READING: