[ad_1]
The Secretary of Health of Maranhão and president of the Conass (National Council of State Health Secretaries), Carlos Eduardo Lula, affirmed this afternoon that the states have started parallel negotiations for the acquisition of the vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The statement came during an interview with the program “Ponto Final” on CBN radio.
“We have been charging the Ministry of Health, we need a date. And, in this case, we don’t even have a date to start immunization. Today, we started a negotiation with Pfizer, because we will not be just looking for encouragement. This is a parallel negotiation. [independentemente do governo federal]”Lula said.
“Pfizer approached the states and the Council, and many states have shown interest. We know that the PNI (National Immunization Plan) is fundamental, we want the government to lead the process, but we cannot stand idly by without knowing what will happen. tomorrow, “he added then.
According to Lula, the cost of the operation, in this case, would be borne by the states themselves.
“It is not possible for us to continue inertial, waiting for what happens, waiting for the Ministry of Health to warn what it is going to have to do. More than 40 countries, smaller than Brazil, have already started vaccination. Brazil continues to see ships ”, he criticized.
In a note sent to TwitterPfizer says it “does not proceed with the information that the company has parallel negotiations with state governments.” The report also attempted to contact the Ministry of Health and is awaiting his return.
Pfizer’s note in its entirety
Regarding the BNT162b2 vaccine, developed by Pfizer / Biontech, and negotiations with the Brazilian government, we clarify:
- Pfizer Brazil continues in negotiations with the federal government for a possible supply of its vaccine against COVID-19
- The company has worked with federal governments around the world to make its vaccine an option in the fight against the pandemic.
- Therefore, it does not provide information that the company has parallel negotiations with state governments.
Proposal to the federal government
Pfizer presented the federal government with a proposal to commercialize the covid-19 vaccine that would allow vaccination in the first half of 2021 of millions of people in the country.
At that time, the Health Ministry said that it should buy the immunizer from the US pharmaceutical company, since clinical trials point to “total efficacy and safety” of the supplies and after the registration of Anvisa.
The Bolsonaro government only announced in December the purchase of 70 million doses of the vaccine, after a long delay, questions and pressure from the governors.
“The company is working and understands the importance and complexity of the logistics behind this. The company’s offer is that the vaccine be delivered in these boxes at the vaccination points, which must be agreed and worked with the governments. That is the part that we will still have to work with with the Ministry of Health and the government of Brazil, ”said Carlos Murillo, president of Pfizer do Brasil, at the time.
Messenger RNA
Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, called BNT162, is made with messenger RNA technology, which carries genetic information to the body to make a virus protein and activate our immune system to generate an antibody response against the pathogen.
The study involved about 43,000 volunteers. The effectiveness analysis was performed when the number of infected in the participant group reached 170. By opening the blinding survey (that is, verifying how many of the infected were in the vaccinated group and how many in the placebo group), the researchers found that 162 infections occurred among those who did not take the immunizer, thus reaching 95% effectiveness.
Although modern and easy to produce, RNA vaccines are sensitive. They require cooling to -70ºC. Pfizer and BioNTech say that while they await authorization for emergency use, they are already taking care of the logistical preparations for the distribution of the product, including a special box that uses dry ice to keep the immunizer at the proper temperature for up to 15 days.
So far, the Pfizer immunizer has been approved in some countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Bahrain, and Chile.
Published results of phase 3 trials of the world’s leading vaccines under development:
