Vaccines for Mexico: The solution to the crisis could be in Querétaro

The global crisis for accessing vaccines against covid-19 increases as the pandemic continues to gain ground and hits the world population again with the appearance of other strains. Mexico does not escape from this situation, however, a viable and short-term solution makes its way in Querétaro, where the Drugmex plant is located, a Mexican ally of the Chinese company CanSino Biologics, which produces one of the vaccines that circulate in the world.

For this reason, the CanSinoBIO vaccine, which is packaged in Querétaro, could be a “wild card” for the Mexican government, which currently, like other countries in the world, is experiencing a crisis due to the delay in the arrival of vaccines.

In an Arístegui Noticias report written by Gustavo Sánchez, they interview Dr. Adolfo Hernández Garduño, spokesperson for CanSinoBIO in Mexico, who gave details about the convenience of producing this vaccine in Mexican territory.

The company began this week to make the first constant deliveries of the biological, until reaching the agreement of 35 million single-dose vaccines, all destined for Mexico. This week 940,000 were delivered and in April they will place 4 million more.

«It is a vaccine that allows it to be taken to places that are difficult to access because it has a ‘cold chain’ between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, and this is very important because we can collaborate appropriately with the national vaccination plan», stressed Dr. Hernández. He adds that the production of the vaccine in Mexico «signifies an important saving of time, resources and logistics to achieve the vaccination of more people throughout the country».

When asked if the vaccine will help for the «salvation» of Mexicans in the midst of the vaccine crisis, Hérnandez maintains that «it is, if we can use the term ‘wild card’ for a vaccine that we can use both in hard-to-reach areas … not only in rural but also urban areas”.

In addition, he said that «due to its easy handling it allows – from the perspective of logistics – to use it where the government considers convenient». Hernández Garduño pointed out that «the delivery of this first batch is a sample of how international and intersectoral cooperation can benefit the health and lives of millions of people».

«This is an effective, safe vaccine and, in addition, being of a single dose means a significant saving of time, resources and logistics to achieve the vaccination of more people throughout the country».

Vaccines: Effectiveness of CanSinoBIO

CanSinoBIO’s anticovid vaccine is 65.28% effective in preventing all symptomatic diseases caused by COVID-19. It also has an efficacy of between 90% and 95.4% to avoid serious conditions that require hospitalization.

On February 11, the active substance of the CanSinoBIO vaccine arrived in Mexico to complete its manufacturing and packaging process in Mexico.

From that day on, the Drugmex plant began the process of packaging and the biological quality and safety tests established by the regulatory authority, as well as international protocols.

«It is a complement to the national vaccination plan. It can be useful due to its characteristics: a single dose, easy handling, safe and effective», Hernández explained.

“The packaging and filling, which sounds very simple, represents 40% of the production of a vaccine. We are very pleased that a strategic partner has been found in the state of Querétaro that allows this filling and packaging to be carried out, which also complies with all the guidelines established by Cofepris”, he said.

He added that in the process «all the protocol periods of time are being properly met» and «the product is meeting the conditions» required.

CanSino Biologics Inc is a biopharmaceutical company founded in China in 2009, dedicated to the research, production and marketing of innovative vaccines for global public health safety.

To date, CanSino has established a robust portfolio of 16 vaccines that prevent 13 infectious diseases, including the global innovation Ebola vaccine approved in 2017.

Its use will be immediate

Last Monday, Undersecretary Hugo López-Gatell commented that these vaccines of Chinese origin «are going to be used immediately».

In a press conference from the National Palace, López-Gatell Ramírez indicated that they value the feasibility of CanSino vaccines being used mainly in rural areas.

“Some state capitals will be included and we are also thinking of the feasibility to have a substantial advance in rural areas, since the CanSino vaccines are of a single dose and do not require deep freezing. Of course, no one is going to misunderstand that this means that the cold chain is neglected, it is simply an easier cold chain to use because it is 2 to 8 degrees and not -70 or -20″, he said.

On Monday afternoon, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Marcelo Ebrard, gave the starting signal for the first batch of 940,020 CanSino vaccines and noted that there were «very good» results in the trial in which 15,000 volunteers participated.