Russia protests Brazil’s rejection of Sputnik V vaccine use

Russia protested Brazilian health regulators’ decision to block imports from the Covid-19 Sputnik V vaccine, citing a “lack of consistent and reliable data” on the safety, quality and efficacy of vaccines.

The five-member board of directors of Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) said in a statement Tuesday that it had identified product development flaws in all three phases of the vaccine’s clinical trials. The strict regulator stressed that it was unable to identify the source of the vaccine pharmaceutical material, adding that full access to the facilities was not granted during a recent visit to inspection in Russia.

Sputnik V vaccine developers dismiss results, calling them political, claiming that Anvisa had come under pressure from the US Department of Health and Human Services to block the Russian vaccine. They also denied that Brazilian regulators were prevented from accessing production sites that would supply Brazil.

Brazil received pressure from US not to acquire Russian vaccine

Anvisa’s decision also sparked tensions in Brazil, where a dozen state governors have called for swift approval of the Russian vaccine. The country completed immunization of just 6% of its population, and the pace of vaccine deliveries declined in May from 14.5 million to 32.4 million.. Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga warned on Monday that delays in deliveries from China could have a major impact on the vaccination campaign.

Brazilian regulators measure occurs as a Sputnik V vaccine still under review in the European Union. The vaccine has been approved in 61 countries and is popular in Latin America, one of the regions most devastated by the pandemic. Argentine President Alberto Fernández received both doses of the Russian vaccine before contracting COVID-19 earlier this month, while Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the development of the vaccine in Brazil.

Sputnik V | The interval between the first and second dose may be extended to 3 months

Disturbing information

Despite the recent push for doses, Anvisa director Alex Machado Campos said the potential dangers of the Sputnik V vaccine outweighed its benefits. “Security is an inalienable aspect in the face of risk and uncertainty,” he said.

Anvisa also said it found “disturbing data” on how the drug was manufactured. “The cells where adenoviruses are produced for vaccine development allow their replication”He said, adding that it could cause further infections or even death.

The developers said in a statement that they addressed all technical issues in a meeting with Anvisa held on April 26 “to show that these accusations have no scientific basis and cannot be seriously addressed in the scientific community and among international regulators “.