Europe delays approval of Russian sputn vaccine …

From Paris. The Covid pandemic is redistributing the maps of global geopolitics. Russia and China stormed the margins with their own vaccines at the same time The West has accounted for 90 percent of the production of, so far, three laboratories licensed to manufacture the vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford and Moderna. This Thursday, March 11, the European Medicines Agency, AEM, in turn approved the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. It is the first antidote that works with a single dose and can be stored in the refrigerator for three months. The AEM has a waiting list with 20 other products, including Sputnik V. Although its effectiveness has been proven by using it in real time in many countries, including Argentina and 8 other Latin American countries, the Europeans extend the final authorization with arguments that are not always clear. According to the RDF, the Russian sovereign wealth fund in charge of supplying Sputnik V abroad, 48 countries currently supply it (a population of 1.2 billion human beings). In principle, Sputnik V is in the “evaluation” phase at the European Agency. However, there is a permanent crossroads of accusations between Moscow and the EU. The latter showed extraordinary rudeness and bad faith regarding the Russian vaccine. An official from the European Medicines Agency (Christa Wirthumer-Hoche) advised EU countries not to use Sputnik V on the pretext that this vaccine was “a Russian roulette”. Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, considered these statements “regrettable” and demanded an “apology”. The crown of bad faith was taken by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, who wondered “why Russia theoretically offers millions and millions of doses without making enough progress in vaccinating its own population”.

The AEM took three months to authorize four vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson). The latest, Johnson & Johnson, entered the process in February. In total, three other vaccines are awaiting European authorization, that is to say they are in the so-called “continuous review” phase: Novavax, CureVac and Sputnik V. Moscow mocks the delay in authorizing its vaccine and wonders (on Twitter) “if it is really worth participating in the assessment process if the European Union (EU) does not intend to ‘add Sputnik V to its vaccine portfolio “. Europe claims that the data provided by Russia is not entirely “convincing” and, as this is the first formula produced outside the West with ambitions of distribution in Western countries, it demands that ” production plants are inspected “(Ursula Von der Leyen). Despite everything, Sputnik overcame mistrust in some countries. In total, Moscow has orders for 815 million doses, China 720 million, North American laboratories 8.1 billion and Europeans 4.1 billion. Western vaccine orders far exceed those of Russia and China. Thrown away, despised, delegitimized and put aside at first by the Western powers, the Russian vaccine and the Chinese (Sinopharm and Sinovac) begin their slow ascent where before seeing the doors close, that is to say the West itself. The first to force access despite the unwillingness of Europeans was Sputnik V. In EU countries, only Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary reserved it for their vaccination campaign. But fear can be more powerful than power itself. The huge postponements of vaccine supply by Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford have gradually pushed the Russian formula through the back door. Initially, 55 million doses were scheduled by June for the new approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, there is already talk of delays in the agenda. Italy now has formalized an agreement with Moscow to produce the vaccine in Italy. The Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce revealed on March 9 that “from July 9, 2021, Sputnik V will be produced in Lombardy.” The agreement provides for the production of “10 million doses between July 1 and January 1, 2022”. This is in fact the first agreement at European level for the production, on EU territory, of the Moscow vaccine. According to Russia, its current system allows it to supply Europe with around 50 million doses between April and June 2021. The war to obtain additional doses has sparked a struggle between the European Union and the laboratories and a war internal between the countries of the Old Continent. Criticized by the slowness of the vaccination campaign, Ursula von der Leyen announced Wednesday, March 10 a new agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech to obtain four million additional doses before the end of March. At the same time, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, accused the United Kingdom of banning exports of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to the European Union. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, rejected the accusation and reaffirmed that his country “opposes vaccine nationalism in all its forms”.

Open confrontation

As for the masks in 2020, the confrontation between States and laboratories is taking place in front of public opinion. It is as obvious as Europe’s political position on the Russian vaccine is. If 1,200 million people turn to Sputnik V around the world, one wonders what else the EU needs as a condition to open the doors to it. The paradox is normal. The headquarters of the European Commission are located in Belgium. Brussels is the capital of Europe par excellence. However, the Belgian vaccination campaign is one of the most chaotic. Less than 3% of the population has been vaccinated. The percentages are not more encouraging for the EU as a whole. 6.1 of its citizens were vaccinated with a first dose compared to 17.1 in the United States, 21 in Chile, 32 in Great Britain and 57 in Israel. Too slow vaccine supply authorizations, logistical obstacles, poor programming, exasperating slowness in the application of decisions and delays in laboratories explain the snail pace with which Europe is advancing. According to Commission data, the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca laboratories have so far delivered 57 million doses. In the United States, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have distributed 100 million doses. The biggest blow was the evaporation of 80 million doses promised by AstraZeneca. Of the 120 million planned, the British Swedish laboratory is only able to deliver 40. AstraZeneca having respected the volumes and deadlines agreed with the United Kingdom, in Brussels It is suspected that the laboratory sold to London (22 million people vaccinated) doses initially intended for the EU. The West did not invest a dime in the development of Sputnik V. Instead, it spent a total of $ 16 billion exclusively in funds for research and production of other vaccines from private laboratories. (Operation Warp Speed). The EU has invested $ 2.9 billion in this aid. The West left Sputnik V in the freezer. The disagreements with Moscow and the variable geometry policy that the EU applies when it suits it, as well as the fear that Russia will expand its influence in the western zone have outweighed other considerations. A torrid “cold war” climate surrounds the production and distribution of vaccines. This climate goes well beyond the antagonisms between Russians and Westerners. It also concerns the relations between the countries of the western axis and their laboratories.