Ecuador and the farmacéutica china Sinovac They will sign an agreement this week to define the roadmap for the installation of a vaccine factory in the Andean country, confirmed this Monday to Efe the health minister, Ximena Garzon.
For it, representatives of Sinovac in Ecuador will meet with Waiter and his colleagues from Production, Julius Joseph Prado; from External relationships, Juan Carlos Holguin; and the Secretary of Public-Private Partnerships, Roberto Salas.
“We are going to sign a collaboration agreement in which we already establish a roadmapin which we establish the times that are going to be fulfilled for the different stages”, said the minister noting that the first stage involves scientific collaboration.
In her –Garzon explained– researchers from Sinovac will conduct a phase 4 (population) study of a vaccine against COVID-19 on Ecuador To determine its effectiveness for Omicron.
“It is not an experimental vaccine, it is a vaccine that has already been proven. It is an improved vaccine, it is the same Sinovac but it has been updated to decrease the transmissibility of the omicron variant,” added the head of healthemphasizing that it is a “completely safe vaccine“.
The minister clarified that being still in a vaccine development phase, “informed consent” will be carried out so that the voluntary population that wishes to participate has all the necessary data.
According to preliminary calculations, these tests could start next June.
OTHER VACCINES, ANOTHER FACTORY?
“The representatives of Sinovac are very interested that we, as Ecuadorlet us synthesize vaccines not only against COVID-19but also for the herpes zosterfor the polio and others from the regular table,” said the official.
According to planning, it is expected that in about two years, production will begin at the vaccine plant.
In the meantime, they are also analyzing the type of investment for the establishment of the factory and among the options are the sole participation of Sinovacthe intervention of governmentor one tripartite relationship: Government, Sinovac and some other private company.
“We are going to fine-tune all these details this week,” stressed the Minister of Health, noting that the production of this factory will produce both for internal consumption of Ecuador as for other countries in the region.
In addition, it is a great advance for Ecuador in the investigative part and a boost in “the development of research in medical areas,” he noted.
On the other hand, Waiter remembered that the government maintained rapprochement with Embassy of Russia before the possibility of Sputnik vaccine production in the Andean country.
“Due to internal problems we were not able to acquire Russian vaccines and nothing has been finalized regarding the assembly of the factory here either. russian vaccinations“, said.
And he advanced that there is interest from Pfizer “in setting up a factory here in the country”. “We have not yet had an approach to determine that feasibility, but we know that this intention exists,” he concluded.
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