Directors and technicians of Laboratorios Lasca, formally presented the COVID-19 vaccine fractionation project in Paraguay to the ministers Luis Alberto Castiglioni, of Industry and Commerce; Julio Borba, from Public Health, and Euclides Acevedo, from Foreign Relations.
The national authorities agreed in signaling the firm commitment to advance in the negotiations with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to obtain the license and produce vaccines to combat the coronavirus in the country.
For the private sector, there were the president of the Paraguayan Industrial Union (UIP), Enrique Duarte, and Gerardo García, of the Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Chemical Industry of Paraguay (Cifarma).
After the presentation of the project, the directors of the company invited the Executive authorities to take a tour of the plant to explain in detail the processes carried out in the modern pharmaceutical industry.
The MIC minister, Luis Castiglioni, pointed out that any initiative that leads to the strengthening of this process is an absolute priority, that there would be no opposition to its development.
“Expectations for economic growth, reactivation and recovery are absolutely linked to the health issue,” said the minister.
He also said that work in the international field is essential so that Paraguay can become a producer of vaccines. He said that, if necessary, an official public-private delegation would have to be formed to demonstrate political will, also made up of representatives of the pharmaceutical industry.
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Both the head of the MSPyBS and the national chancellor, expressed total support for the initiative from their institutions.
Acevedo said that it is about betting on industry, creativity and national science. “Paraguay has to be a strategic site for everything and especially for science and we want next year to be the capital of science,” he said, pointing out that if this undertaking becomes a reality it will have a great impact on national hope.
The director of Lasca, Luis Ávila, made the presentation and description of the situation in which the work that is being carried out to complete the possibility of fractionation of vaccines in this country is found.
“We do not see that there is another way out, because of the experience we have had, and because the governments are taking this path. The Russian Investment Fund, apart from Argentina, today has Turkey, India, among others ”, he added.
The presentation included an aspect in the field of health, the situation of the Lasca biological plant, the products available and under development and the facilities.
Ávila expanded information on current efforts at the Foreign Ministry, spoke of the projection for technology transfer, mentioned the need for a bilateral agreement, cited the implementation schedule, the start-up and work of technical teams and estimated times.
According to Ávila’s explanations, in the field of public health there are external aspects to take into account, such as the Russian check list, the internal analysis and analytics of the finished product. He appreciated the support of the National University of Asunción (UNA).
Referring to the field of Industry and Commerce, Ávila indicated that the legal framework of vaccines, biological ones at the regional level, taking into account public-private alliances and the possibility of expanding productive capacity, as well as the cost of financing are relevant aspects. , among other items that should be taken into account.
Meanwhile, Osvaldo Formento, director of the pharmaceutical industry, clarified that this initiative will give results by 2022, since the processes and techniques are long, extensive and extremely rigorous. “It is a big responsibility. The will is to do it, but respecting the processes, not rushing them to lead them to failure ”, he added.
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