RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Tuesday, June 1, Fiocruz will sign the technology transfer contract for the production of the AstraZeneca vaccine’s active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in Brazil. This step is critical for the country’s autonomy in manufacturing vaccines against Covid-19.
Currently, the API needed for vaccine production is imported from China, which has led to production delays.
The agreement with AstraZeneca was originally scheduled to be signed last year, but has since been delayed several times. The last forecast, made by the director of Biomanguinhos, Maurício Zuma, in March, was that the agreement would be signed by late April. Zuma stated that should this date be exceeded, there would be a delay in the planned deliveries.
Fiocruz has not commented on a potential new schedule. The original schedule projected the production of 110 million doses with domestic API by the end of 2021. The adjustment of a plant in Biomanguinhos specifically for API production had been completed, irrespective of the signing of the contract.
Fiocruz’s president Nísia Trindade and Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga will attend the contract signing ceremony in Brasília. According to the presidency’s website, the event will take place at 5 PM and will also be attended by President Jair Bolsonaro.