Hugo Sigman and AstraZeneca’s problems making vaccines hit the BBC

At the end of 2020, Alberto Fernández had signed with AstraZeneca your first and biggest vaccine purchase: 22.4 million doses -of which 60% of the agreed budget was paid in 89.6 million dollars-. Now the British BBC has focused on the development issues of businessman Hugo Sigman.

Delays and breaches of coronavirus vaccine contracts have led the government to rethink strategy and even resume negotiations with Pfizer.

Meanwhile, from the Argentine government They want the White House to intercede for AstraZeneca to comply with the agreement and send a batch of 900 thousand doses, the active ingredient of which was developed in the laboratories of the pharmaceutical entrepreneur Sigman in Garín.

Setbacks have resulted in a survey for the alleged embezzlement of public funds under the contract the government signed with the Anglo-Swedish laboratory, which began with a complaint against the president, former minister Ginés González García, his successor Carla Vizzotti and two other officials from the Ministry of Health.

BBC echoed

The UK channel described the case in a full article titled “Vaccines against covid-19: what million doses of AstraZeneca that Mexico and Argentina have pledged to produce in Latin America “.

The report points out that the number of AstraZeneca vaccines that were supposed to be available to fight the coronavirus in Latin America in the first half of 2021 they were “between 150 and 250 million“.

“At least that’s what the presidents announced last August Argentina and Mexico, after announcing that private companies in their country would jointly produce the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the UK-based pharmaceutical company, ”the article continued.

The publication focuses on the fact that the project, funded by the foundation of Mexican millionaire Carlos Slim, aimed to produce and distribute the vaccines throughout Latin America (except Brazil, which has its own agreement).

However, “come to may again not a single dose is available of this precious antiviral ”, highlights the portal.

The BBC analyzes that the lack of these vaccines in our country has led “many to criticize the government for prioritizing the deal with AstraZeneca over other options, such as the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, from pharmaceutical companies with which Argentine authorities were unable to reach an agreement, as have several of its neighbors, including Uruguay and Chile. “

“Some even accused the government of ignoring Pfizer-BioNtech to promote Insud Group, responsible for the “Argentinian leg” of the production of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, which the authorities have denied “, continues the article signed by the journalist Veronica Smink.

He also argues that amid the tensions, Sigman, owner of the Insud Group, “took to social media to dismiss the accusations and explain why production of the vaccine has been delayed.”

His mAbxience laboratory is the one that makes the active ingredient of the AstraZeneca vaccine and Sigman assured in a series of tweets that the problem does not have to do with this process in Argentina, but with the one that comes later: “packaging made in Mexico”.

“The packaging of each type of vaccine requires a series of specific equipment and supplies which, due to strong global demand, are now impossible to obtain quickly,” he wrote on his Twitter account on April 19. .

The BBC contacted the lab Liomont in Mexico, that so far “did not make a public statements on the delay in the production of vaccines, but until the time of publication of this article there was no response, ”said British media.

After a meeting with Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti, representatives of the Swedish-British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca issued a message in which they recognize a delay, but they guarantee rapid delivery of vaccines.

“We regret to confirm a delay in our intention to start shipments to Latin America earlier, despite our tireless efforts to speed up supply,” they said.

Judicialization

Federal prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan He summoned Vizzotti to testify as a witness, as part of the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of public funds through the contract the government signed with the Anglo-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca for the supply of vaccines.

The Minister of Health has been summoned for May 7, but can respond in writing.

The case of alleged irregularities in the contract began with a complaint against Fernández, González García, Vizzotti and two other officials of the Ministry of Health, for allegation of abuse of authority, embezzlement of public funds and incompatible negotiations with the public service.

The case fell into the hands of Judge Julián Ercolini, who referred the investigation to prosecutor Marijuan. The prosecutor ordered the presentation of information and documents on the contract contested by the Health portfolio as well as by the Argentinian laboratory mAbxience, to Sigman.

The role of the businessman came under scrutiny as he functioned as a link between the government and AstraZeneca, to whom he would provide services under this contract.

The suspicions were multiplied by the historical link of Sigman with Kirchnerism and the presence of the official Sonia Tarragona: “The negotiations with the Pfizer laboratory – which were truncated – were delegated by the former minister González García to Sonia Tarragona, an official for whom he had previously worked. Hugo Sigman, himself linked to AstraZeneca.

That is to say a direct competitor, which could imply a violation of the ethical law in the public service ”, specifies the legal complaint signed by Josefina de Elizalde, representative of the Republican Common Action“ non-partisan citizen space ” .

DS