RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil may be struggling in its battle against the coronavirus, but it is on the cutting edge of vaccine development with large-scale trials and the production of millions of doses on the horizon.
COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the Latin American nation – a situation underlined when President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive on Tuesday – creating the necessary conditions for testing a vaccine’s efficiency.
Brazil is renowned for its expertise in vaccines, which it produces on a large scale in public institutes.
The leaders for two of the most advanced vaccine projects – one from Oxford University, in partnership with AstraZeneca labs, and one from China’s Sinovac – will carry out Phase Three tests, the last one before the drug is approved, on thousands of Brazilian volunteers.
If the vaccine passes the clinical trials, Brazil will be entitled to produce 70 million additional doses at an estimated cost of $2.30 each. (AFP)
