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Last week, the Philippine government announced that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr., and a representative from the Office of the President met separately with the Russian Embassy and the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, to discuss arrangements. to ensure “appropriate and adequate vaccines for the population.” It seems like a balancing act to me, one from the East, the other from the West. In this way, we do not offend or upset old friends as we seek to form closer ties with a new and unfamiliar neighbor who has generously offered their help in the fight against COVID-19. The president himself volunteered to take part in Sputnik V’s clinical trials. How could we not seriously consider using a Russian vaccine? Let me remind our readers of what has happened regarding Sputnik V.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had granted regulatory approval for a coronavirus vaccine. It was called “Sputnik V” to remind people of the success of the first terrestrial satellite launched by the USSR in 1957. The vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. On August 11, the Russians announced that the vaccine had undergone Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. Russia remains the only country that has granted regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine. Some Western experts were not happy with the announcement, as it did not meet their “gold standard” of clinical trials for drug development. Mass production will be carried out by the Russian business conglomerate Sistema. More than 20 countries, including Vietnam, have submitted vaccine applications.
Last Friday, The Lancet, the world’s leading independent medical journal whose coverage has an international focus and covers all aspects of human health, published the results of the early stages of trials of the Russian vaccine. The results showed that Sputnik V produced an anti-body response in all participants without serious adverse effects.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, said that “questions from the West that have been diligently posed over the past three weeks, frankly with the clear aim of tarnishing the Russian vaccine” have been answered. “Now … we will start asking questions about some of the western vaccines.” Dmitriev added that large-scale trials of the vaccine were launched last week and initial results are expected in October or November. Russia plans to start mass vaccinations by the end of the year. It would take up to 12 months to vaccinate most of Russia’s population.
In a coronavirus pandemic with deaths around the world approaching the 1 million mark, it is not certain what regulators will accept as proof of a successful and safe vaccine, as regulators in different countries may have different standards. Last week, the Trump administration directed states to prepare to distribute a possible COVID-19 vaccine by November 1. The name of the vaccine or the tests it had undergone was not mentioned, but a letter from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was mentioned. Robert Redfield requested expedited applications for these distribution facilities. On August 28, the US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization to allow the use of the unapproved product Remdesivir for the treatment of pediatric and adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Remdesivir is produced by Gilead Sciences Inc., an American biopharmaceutical company that focuses on antiviral drugs. It is not a vaccine. It is not approved by the FDA.
Western pharmaceutical companies are developing various vaccines. One of the candidates is a product of a joint association between the French Sanofi and the British GSK. Another is an Oxford University project with British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca that officials say could be available soon.
There are reports that the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and Japan have already reserved large quantities of experimental vaccines. Even before clinical trials of these vaccines ended, those countries have practically cornered the initial supply. Richard Hatchett, head of the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness, is concerned. “We need to persuade world leaders that as soon as a vaccine is available in limited quantities, it must be shared globally.”
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