Breathe
By Gabriela Sotomayor
On May 12, the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) announced with great fanfare that the New Molecules Committee issued a favorable opinion for the application of the Cuban vaccine Abdala for children between 5 and 18 years of age. But oh, small detail, the drug to immunize against COVID does not have the authorization of the World Health Organization (WHO), neither for adults nor for children. What a detail.
"The vaccine, developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of the Republic of Cuba, is indicated for specific active immunization against SARS CoV-2 infection in children from 5 years of age, with efficacy against mild, moderate and severe clinical forms of COVID-19 of 92.13%, 88.99% and 92.33%, respectively," remarked the proud COFEPRIS statement.
Let's see, as the classic saying goes, "I have other data". To begin with, the Ministry of Health has pointed out that the decisions they have made regarding COVID in the country are in accordance with the stipulations of the WHO. This is not a grace; it is part of the obligations of all member states of the organization due to the declaration of a global health emergency. In this sense, it is somewhat suspicious that on May 5 the WHO announced the end of the health emergency and then, on May 12, without the binding burden of the International Health Regulations, COFEPRIS announced with absolute unconcern its endorsement to apply Abdala in children. As a colleague of mine says in O51, "think wrong and you will be right".
So far, the only vaccine that the WHO has authorized for use in children from 5 to 18 years of age is the Pfizer vaccine with a dose adapted for their age. I repeat, it is the only one. And for adults the WHO has authorized the following: Pfizer-BionTech , approved on December 31, 2020; Oxford/AstraZeneca authorized on March 12, 2021; Janssen on March 12, 2021; Moderna on April 30, 2021; Sinopharm on May 7, 2021; Sinovac's CoronaVac on June 1, 2021; Bharat Biotech's Covaxin on November 3, 2021; Covavax on December 17, 2021; Nuvaxovid on December 20, 2021; and the last vaccine to receive WHO approval was Cansino on June 10, 2022.
Here the question arises: If the government has 63 million dollars, why didn't it buy Pfizer, which is authorized? The purchase of Abdala was boasted by the coronavirus czar, the distinguished Undersecretary of Health Hugo Lopez Gatell, on September 6, 2022, that is, when the world health emergency was still in force and Mexico had to abide by the WHO guidelines.
"We already have the contract with the Government of Cuba and its biotechnology company for the Abdala vaccine, with 9 million doses that, given that this is a three-dose schedule, will be enough for 3 million children," Lopez-Gatell announced.
At that time, the official known as Dr. Muerte did not offer more details about the amount of the contract signed with Cuba, but making a rough calculation if each vaccine costs 7 dollars, the government of the National Palace committed to pay around 63 million dollars.
In December 2021 Mexico became one of the first countries in the world to authorize the emergency use of Abdala along with Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Vietnam and St. Vincent.
And it was not to save a little money, because Abdala is more expensive than Astra-Zeneca , for example. It is unthinkable, unheard of, incomprehensible that if they have sufficient funds they would buy a vaccine for Mexican children that has not been approved by the WHO. It is inconceivable.
On the other hand, to be clear, I'm not saying that Abdala could carry greater risks for children, but I wouldn't stick my hands in the fire to defend it either. I'm not a scientist, I don't have those credentials, but it's not a question of a PhD either. If you're going to spend millions of dollars, you might as well play it safe, right?
The Abdala vaccine only has information from clinical trials carried out in Cuba and, according to specialized journals, there is no study that proves its effectiveness against the Omicron variant , which is the one circulating worldwide.
According to experts, "the credibility of any vaccine and its acceptability by the community is largely based on the publication of the results in scientific journals of recognized prestige. However, there is none from Abdala, apart from what has been published by the government of Havana''.
In response to criticism over the lack of Abdala clinical trial data, Cuba blames economic sanctions imposed by the United States for the delay in WHO authorization due to the "refusal of several banks" to make a transfer to a company in charge of part of the production.
And to finish the picture, the head of COFEPRIS (very good looking, whatever is everyone's business) Alejandro Svarch Perez, apparently has a past closely linked to Cuba, it is said that his heart beats with joy when he walks the streets of the Caribbean island, a place he visited many times when he was a member of the Board of Directors of Doctors Without Borders in Latin America plus 12 years of volunteering in countries such as Switzerland, Cuba, Brazil and Uruguay. His place of birth is not entirely clear either, apparently he has relatives in Argentina and Cuba.
Now, if the objective is to help the government of Miguel Diaz Canel economically , instead of buying such an opaque vaccine, it would have been better if they had made a donation to the island, in addition to the millions they have paid for the hiring of Cuban doctors, which by the way was managed by Svarch. It is well known that Havana keeps 70 to 90% of the salaries of the doctors who go to work in other parts of the world. In addition to keeping most of their fees, the Castro government has draconian rules for the doctors, which the UN has called "modern slavery". There is a lot to be said about the export of Cuban health personnel, but that is another story...
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of Opinion 51.
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