Coronavirus antibody: AstraZeneca applies for full regulatory endorsement in Brazil

Overview

• Post By : Kumar Jeetendra


• Source: Reuters


• Date: 30 Jan,2021

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said on January 29 that a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca had applied for full regulatory approval, in a positive development for the nation’s beleaguered vaccine rollout.

The entry, the first of its kind in Brazil, was made by the federally funded Fiocruz Institute, which will manufacture the British vaccine locally. A spokeswoman for AstraZeneca, whose vaccine is already approved for emergency use in Brazil, confirmed the entry.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who says he will not take any COVID-19 shot, is under pressure for overseeing a slow and patchy vaccine rollout, as a brutal second wave of infections gathers momentum.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is the central pillar of the federal government’s vaccine plan. It’s ordered material to make around 100 million shots, which will be manufactured by Fiocruz.

Anvisa stated it had a period of 60 days to decide on whether to authorize the medication, but said it would strive to expedite the process as much as you can.

But even if the drug is approved, it does not immediately solve Brazil’s disease headache.

A shipment of active ingredients required to make the British vaccine locally has been repeatedly delayed and has not left China. It remains unclear when it will arrive.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca is facing widespread problems in meeting the demand for its vaccine in markets around the world.

For now, Brazil is reliant on a Chinese vaccine, developed by Sinovac Biotech Ltd, and 2 million ready-to-use AstraZeneca shots imported from India earlier this month to inoculate its 210 million people.