Mexico City.- To carry out the last phase of clinical development of the Patria vaccine, the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) seeks to recruit at least 3,860 volunteers.
In this final stage, the agency headed by María Elena Álvarez-Buylla reported that recruitment is aimed at people residing in Mexico City, Oaxaca de Juárez, Morelia, Mérida, Tlalnepantla and Acapulco.
“The volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, have at least one dose of vaccine against Covid-19 and have allowed four months to pass since the last vaccine or booster application,” Conacyt explained this Wednesday through a statement. .
Other requirements to participate are not to be pregnant or lactating; have a good general state of health, and, in case of presenting any chronic disease, “it must be controlled for at least three months prior to the start of the study”.
“Not having active respiratory diseases or having suffered from them in the last 21 days,” is added on the volunteer registration site, www.conacyt.mx/vacuna-patria.
Developed in conjunction with Laboratorio Avi-Mex, SA de CV (Avimex), Patria would have demonstrated in the previous clinical phases to be safe, as it did not cause serious adverse effects, and effective, promoting “a significant immune response in volunteers with previous immunity.” , says Conacyt.
“It has the potential to be used as a universal reinforcement,” boasts the dependency on its vaccine, which has had an investment of 150 million pesos from the federal government -15 million from SRE-Amexcid and 135 million from Conacyt-.
Since last August, the start of the final phase of Patria tests was announced, after a long phase II that had to deal with the lack of volunteers for up to half a year (REFORM 06/20/2022).
Before announcing the start of the last stage, Álvarez-Buylla was rebuked by PAN member Carlos Madrazo Limón during his virtual appearance with legislators from the Chamber of Deputies.
“You promised President López Obrador and the people of Mexico that the Patria vaccine would be ready by the end of 2021,” he reminded the scientist.
“Are you aware that your historical legacy will be remembered as catastrophic by families who have suffered the death of a loved one due to the absence of an effective Mexican vaccine?” Madrazo Limón lashed out (REFORMA 08/5/2022).
But the head of Conacyt justified the delay in the development of Patria, which three years after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 is still not ready, appealing to the “dismantling of the Country’s capacities since the late 90s.”
