PAHO calls for publication of scientific data on Cuban Abdala coronavirus vaccine

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday warned that The Abdala coronavirus vaccine developed by Cuba does not have an emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO).

During the agency’s weekly press conference, Jarbas barbosa, deputy director of PAHO, asked the Cuban authorities to publish the vaccine data “in scientific journals”. Also after The Venezuelan dictatorship announced this week that it is starting to apply this formula, the Brazilian doctor stressed the importance of informing about the evaluation and authorization procedure in the country.

“It would be very important for the producers of the Abdala vaccine to be able, if they completed all the processes of phases 1, 2 and 3, to publish these data in scientific journals so that the scientific community can also publicly assess and know these Les data”remarked Barbosa.

The deputy director of PAHO explained that if the Cuban authorities intend to propose their vaccine for inclusion in the Covax mechanism, “they must apply for an emergency use authorization from the WHO.” “For this, an inspection will be required to certify that the production conforms to good vaccine manufacturing practice, as well as a full and detailed evaluation of all phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials.”

After Venezuela announced that it had started applying the Abdala vaccine to its population, Barbosa clarified that each country has independence decision, but clarified: “In order not to have prejudices O restriction to any vaccine, we always recommend that the regulatory authorities of the countries can provide information in a very transparent way for their population, that they evaluated how was the evaluation process (and) what is the situation of the authorization ”.

“It is very important to make sure that the people, the communities, know everything that is going on. For our part, we will await the publication of the data, and also the examination that the WHO will make if the producer will apply for its registration as a vaccine that can have the authorization for emergency use “he added.

The Venezuelan authorities began on Tuesday to vaccinate the population with the Cuban vaccine candidate Abdala. A consignment donated by Havana has arrived in Venezuela in recent days and it was incorporated into the diet’s mass vaccination plan. The two countries signed a contract for the supply of 12 million doses in the next few months.

Some Venezuelans and sectors of the opposition had expressed reservations about the lack of information about the vaccination campaign and the fact that Abdala was not approved by institutions such as the World Health Organization.

Interim President’s Communication Team Juan Guaido questioned the inclusion of the Cuban vaccine while its scientific data is unknown: “Now Venezuelans are completely defenseless and without the possibility of choice before the imposition of the biological product Abdala, without the approval of the WHO. We demand approved vaccines for everyone ”.

The President of the College of Nurses of Caracas, Ana Contreras, on Tuesday rejected the use in Venezuela of the Cuban vaccine in tests, and called for citizens not to be used as “lab mouse”. “Venezuelans are not laboratory mice. If someone wants to participate in this experimental trial, with this prototype of the Abdala vaccine, they have to leave their consent in writing, ”Contreras said at a press conference.

The Venezuelan doctor indicated that the Chavist authorities “they intend to impose a prototype which has not met scientific rigor“And recalled that by the mechanism”Covax, a certified vaccine would enter the country“, But “was rejected by the government”. The vaccine AstraZeneca, which would reach Venezuela via the Covax mechanism, was not allowed by the authorities.

According to Cuban authorities last week, its immunizing agent is 92.28% effective, and consider a scheme of three doses separated by 14 days.

“Efficiency with three doses of Abdala will be an event that will multiply pride”, tweeted Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz Canel last week, shortly before the publication of the study results. These data were announced, without further details, in the program Round table of state television. Thus, it was not specified how many positives were reported among the volunteers who received the placebo and how many participants were infected who received the formula.

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