Havana, Feb 6 (ACN) Every day the headlines echo the work of thousands of scientists around the world to achieve an effective vaccine to end the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that has already caused more of two million deaths in the world.
At the same time, names like Spunik-V, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca feed the longing of millions of people to embrace their loved ones again; but that achievement of science comes at a high price, and is not accessible to everyone.
The race to find a cure for the worst health emergency of the last century is not without geopolitical or economic interests, and the power of money increasingly increases the gap between rich and poor.
Currently, prices vary between 10 and 35 dollars a dose and only 108 million vaccines have been applied in 13 countries, just over one percent of the population, said Eduardo Martínez Díaz, president of the Grupo de las Industrias. Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical (BioCubaFarma).
In contrast to biotechnology monopolies, Cuba is committed to developing its own vaccine candidates, with the necessary capacity to immunize its entire population, based on the experience accumulated in the development of vaccines.
Eight of the 11 included in the expanded immunization program are of national production, which allows a vaccination coverage in the country of more than 98 percent, which has reduced the incidence of hepatitis and meningitis, while eradicating whooping cough, measles and rubella.
In this sense, scientists consider that the population must be segmented, because it is not the same to vaccinate people with comorbidities as well as healthy people, or children and convalescents.
Another advantage is that they can complement each other and use booster doses for the new variants of SARS-CoV-2.
In addition, having your own vaccine also guarantees maintaining a vaccination in the future, in case the virus is endemic or stationary.
Advancing in the four candidates, far from being an inconvenience for the Cuban industry, ensures success, because in each new clinical trial the possibility of going back and reformulating the doses is envisaged and the more options there are, the greater the possibilities of achieving efficacy and the desired immune response.
Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Abdala and Mambisa: keys for a single door.
(Foto)
Soberana 01, the first Cuban anti-COVID-19 candidate and the first also from Latin America and the Caribbean, was registered on August 13 in the Cuban Public Registry of Clinical Trials and studies began on August 24; from there others would arrive later.
In previous statements, Vicente Vérez Bencomo, general director of the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), commented that three formulations were designed for the candidate and in the trial with 60 subjects it demonstrated safety, since between 80 and 90 percent of the people had induction of antibodies against the virus.
Similarly, he pointed out that those who received a third dose increased to 95 percent the capacity to generate antibodies with very high levels of neutralization, results that make it possible to continue to phase II-III scheduled for March, which should involve between 40 and 50 thousand people and you will have a placebo group. There is also a study of Sovereign 01-B, associated with the mutations of the new coronavirus and that is developed with the Institute of Hematology and Immunology, where 30 convalescent patients received the first dose. Likewise, Soberana 02, advanced to Phase II more quickly and became the first vaccine candidate in Latin America and the Caribbean to reach this stage of study.
In its first phase, it showed safety and efficacy in terms of antibody generation, since more than 70 percent of the patients presented a strong cellular response to the first dose, expressed Vérez Bencomo.
Phase II-A included a population up to 80 years of age, with a very similar response, hence Phase II-B began in January with 810 participants, in which there are placebos and already around 700 volunteers received the first administration.
Currently, a Phase III of Sovereign 02 is designed for March, which will be implemented in the province of Havana in around 42 thousand people, and if the results of both studies are favorable, a vaccination scheme of two doses of Sovereign 02 could be evaluated. and a third of Sovereign 01.
(Foto)
Likewise, the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) plans to advance next month to Phase III of the clinical trials of the vaccine candidate Abdala (CIGB-66), which is in Phase II with subjects from 19 to 80 years of age.
Marta Ayala Ávila, general director of the institution explained that until now the volunteers had an intense and high response of specific antibodies and the candidate is capable of neutralizing the binding of the virus to the cell.
The CIGB is also developing the Mambisa clinical trial (CIGB-669) that explores the nasal route and takes advantage of the previous result of the recombinant vaccine against hepatitis B.
The Mambisa clinical trial included 88 volunteers, distributed in four study groups, at the National Center of Toxicology in Havana, and on day 56 all participants received the three doses of vaccines with few adverse reactions.
The general director of the CIGB said that the vaccine candidate has proven to be safe and well tolerated, so once the analytical activity is completed, Phase II is expected to begin.
The satisfactory results of the four Cuban candidates make the possibility of an immunization for the island’s population closer and closer, although science has its times and must be respected in order to achieve a better result.
Source: ACN
Views: 3
