[ad_1]
When Russia announced on August 11 that it had registered the first vaccine against covid-19, called Sputnik V, the political and historical message was quite clear.
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite and won the space race. Now Russia says it goes beyond the limits of medicine.
But critics say the country is skipping steps in the scientific process of developing a vaccine. And the skepticism with which the announcement was received is a reminder of the intense international competition surrounding these efforts.
In that race, there were reports of improper shortcuts, espionage, unethical issues, jealousy, and nationalism.
The covid-19 vaccine is one of the most valuable and coveted medical awards of modern times. This is not just to save lives, but also for the promise of glory and validation for those who succeed.
“I’ve never seen so much political stakes in a medical product,” says Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University in Washington, USA.
“The reason the COVID-19 vaccine has assumed such symbolism is that the superpowers saw it as a projection of their scientific prowess that validates their political system as superior to others.”
Currently, there are six candidates in the so-called phase 3, the final testing stage in which the vaccine is verified, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Three are in China; one, in the UK; one, in the United States; and another as a partnership between Germany and the United States.
It usually takes years to develop a vaccine. And while all researchers are trying to speed up the investigation, Sputnik V’s track record in Russia has raised concerns that the country may have skipped stages in its scientific development.
The WHO, for example, has yet to validate the Russian vaccine and said it hopes to see scientific data to show that it is effective.
“Certainly, the research steps have been omitted, especially in the case of Russia,” says Thomas Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations, a center for international policy studies based in New York, United States. United.
“It is not difficult to develop a vaccine. It is difficult to show that a vaccine is safe and effective. And if countries are interested in launching the first one, they can quickly cut corners.”
The US Department of Justice has charged two Chinese hackers with hacking and stealing vaccine development data on behalf of Beijing. China vehemently denied this, saying it shared information about the virus and cooperated with foreign partners.
The UK, US and Canada have also accused Russian spy agencies of interfering in the vaccine investigation, which the Kremlin has denied. The suggestion from intelligence sources at the time was that the episode was about data theft, rather than an attempt to disrupt development.
Moscow’s decision to register Sputnik V before conducting large-scale tests and without publishing research data has drawn criticism from the West. Anthony Fauci, chief scientist for the White House coronavirus task force, said he “seriously doubts” that the Russians have shown their vaccine to be safe and effective.
These concerns were dismissed by the Russian government and classified as “jealousy.” Vaccine officials say they will soon publish the data in a major international scientific journal.
Meanwhile, China has also accelerated some of its development. The country’s pharmaceutical companies said that executives received injections to “pre-test” the vaccines, a measure that seeks to “show the willingness of those responsible to take risks and sacrifices.”
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin did something similar when he said that his own daughter had received a dose of Sputnik V.
There are reports that both countries plan to test vaccines in their armed forces. This raised ethical concerns, as participants may not be able to give proper consent.
A vaccine developed by Chinese company CanSino, which works with the country’s military, was approved for use in the military in June, before the start of phase 3 testing.
Fuel for the anti-vaccine movement
Given the unprecedented demand for a vaccine, a small reduction in the time required to create a drug is expected.
But experts warn that rushing a vaccine and not undergoing full testing can lead to overconfidence among the population and therefore the spread of Covid-19.
On the other hand, a drug that causes serious side effects can strengthen anti-vaccine movements, which have been growing in recent years.
Most vaccine development programs are commercial companies and often rely on international collaboration.
This did not stop governments from viewing the covid-19 drug as a symbol of national prestige, an opportunity to demonstrate scientific ability, and a means to counter criticism of how they handled the pandemic.
“What has led some countries to be particularly competitive in developing a vaccine is, in large part, internal concerns about how they fared in this pandemic,” Bollyky said.
The Donald Trump administration is, for example, under intense pressure in an election year. The US president named his project to create a Warp Speed Operation vaccine [velocidade de dobra espacial, em tradução livre] a reference to the television series Day in the stars.
In the UK, a successful national vaccine would boost the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was also criticized during the pandemic. Its Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said “Britain continues to lead the world” in vaccine development.
Nationalism
The UK, like other countries, has protected itself by winning contracts to buy other vaccines if they are successful. But that raised concerns about another aspect of the race.
“There is a nationalism around vaccines among Western countries,” says Thomas Bollyky.
Of course, nationalism was already growing even before the coronavirus emerged. But the disease has reinforced this trend.
The initial rush to get respirators and personal protective equipment meant that countries offered money to each other to secure remittances. It also showed dependence on external supplies and stimulated the search for greater internal production capacity.
With vaccines, even though efforts are being distributed globally, those who develop them first can ensure a priority to save lives and recoup their savings. Similarly, failing to do so can raise public anger and questions about the competence of your governments.
The WHO called for richer countries to join a global vaccine exchange program with poorer nations. “We need to prevent vaccine nationalism,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, CEO of the organization.
Countries may also be tempted to offer other countries access to vaccines as a diplomacy tool, to gain favors and support.
Bollyky believes that “every government with early access (to a vaccine) will eventually use some actions as a form of diplomacy.”
But being first to market doesn’t necessarily mean that a vaccine will be the most effective, and experts caution that this is not a race where there will be a single winner or goal, although rivalries over vaccine development and supply do. they are. just starting.
