How is Soberana 2, Cuba’s coronavirus vaccine

Sovereign 2 is the name of one of the four vaccines developed by Cuban scientists that entered the final testing phase this month. Injectable, two application doses are planned, with intervals of two weeks between each, in addition to a possible booster. And this brings something new in this area: you won’t need freezers for its maintenance.

This Wednesday, the first dose vaccine has completed its phase III trial, as confirmed by managers and scientists involved in the project.

In this study, Soberana 2 was first applied to 44,000 citizens as a test and was extended to 150,000 health workers in Havana, as part of an “intervention” to obtain more data on the behavior of the antigen.

All Cuban vaccines are recombinant proteins, the same technique used by the American biotechnology company Novavax.

If the development is successful, it could put the island on the path to vaccinating its entire population and starting its overseas exports by the end of the year.

“Due to the blockade (the United States’ sanctions against Cuba) that everyone already knows from the situation we find ourselves in the country, it would have been very difficult for us to have the results that we have in the fight against the pandemic if we had not had this industry created over 35 yearsMartinez added.

Martinez, the director of Biocubafarma, also indicated that the vaccination ended with the first dose of the phase III study of the Sovereign 02 vaccine, the most advanced among the candidates developed by the island.

Proof

Public Health Department National Science and Technological Innovation Director Ileana Morales told state television that by May they will have received the experimental vaccine. 1.7 million seniors 19 years in the capital, which has 2.2 million inhabitants.

The other advanced vaccine is Abdala, which is being tested in its phase III in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba with 40,000 patients and with 120,000 other volunteers in an “intervention study”.

Mambisa, Soberana 01 and Soberana Plus, are the other antigens in development but still in early stages.

Unlike other vaccines launched on the market, none of the four need to be stored in extremely cold conditions.

Experts on the island are also working on a fifth candidate, Sovereign +, based on a reformulation of Sovereign 1 and aimed at recovering patients from the disease.

The coronavirus has spikes (viral proteins) on its surface to come into contact with and infect cells. These proteins can be replicated and then presented to the immune system to make it react.

By June we would have the results complete phase III of Sovereign 02 and Abdala.

If the vaccine proves safe and effective, the Cuban government would win a major political victory – and a chance to save the nation from economic ruin. For a country that for decades touted its sophisticated healthcare system as proof of the benefits of socialism, the vaccine it also offers a unique public relations opportunity.

The vaccine is called Sovereign 2, in a nod to the island’s pride in its autonomy, despite the hostility of its northern neighbor. Cuba is already exploring the idea of ​​attracting touristsIts its shores with the irresistible mix of sun, sand and a dose of Sovereign 2.

Vicente Vérez, one of the scientists leading the team that developed the vaccine, said the island could offer vaccines to all foreigners who visit it.

“It’s not just medicine and humanitarianism; there is a great economic benefit if they can get the virus under control, ”said Richard Feinberg, an expert on Cuba at the University of California at San Diego. “This would strengthen the reputation of the Cuban pharmaceutical biotechnology sector, which will allow them to market other medical products ”.

Cuban scientists say the government give a few doses to poor countries, in line with its long practice of strengthening international relations by donating drugs and sending doctors to deal with public health crises abroad.

Cuba started to investing money in biotechnology in the 80s, as part of Fidel Castro’s campaign to make the nation self-sufficient in the face of the US embargo that made it difficult to obtain drugs produced abroad.

The vaccine requires three doses given at two week intervals And, unlike Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, it doesn’t need to be stored in a freezer, which could be a draw for poorer countries that often lack the equipment to keep so many doses frozen.

The plan to open vaccination to tourists seems, to some, a tactic to attract visitors, and with them the currency the island desperately needs. The combination of the pandemic and sanctions created the worst economic crisis the country has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, experts say.

However, Cuban scientists insist that the goal is to spread health. Any gain, they say, is simply a side effect.

Source AP, The New York Times and Clarín

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