Lopez-Gatell now applauds a publication that he once disdained

After publication in The Lancet that the Russian vaccine Sputnik V has an efficacy of 91.6%, the Mexican government could approve its emergency use in the next few hours.

MEXICO CITY (apro) – The basis is one: the British scientific journal The Lancet published a study on the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. The result is that it has an efficacy of 91.6%. With this reference and the supporting documentation on its application in Argentina, the Mexican government could authorize this formula in the next 24 hours.

This Tuesday, in the morning press conference at the National Palace, with the absence López Obrador, still in isolation, the information regarding the Sputnik V vaccine was presented by the Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell:

“I want to give you some good news. At this moment, we are receiving something that had been widely expected by society. Today, February 2, the results of Phase 3 clinical trials of the Russian vaccine created by the Gamaleya Center are being published in the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet. An emergency use authorization for the Russian vaccine Sputnik V will probably be issued in the next few hours”.

However, not long ago, Hugo López-Gatell refuted a publication in the British magazine about the deaths of medical personnel due to Covid-19 and the Mexican government’s strategy to address the pandemic. The specific words of the undersecretary of health were:

“The Lancet article incurs in “outright lies” about Mexico’s pandemic strategy”. However, all of the sudden, he praises it. 

Yesterday, the Secretary of Health, Jorge Alcocer, signed the contract, which will imply the reception of 400 thousand doses during February, one million in March, and 6 million in April.

An administrative stumbling block: the Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris), among its authorization requirements, establishes that pharmaceutical companies must have representation in Mexico. This is not the case of the Russian company Human Vaccine. However, the obstacle will be overcome with the intervention of Birmex, a Mexican state-owned company that will act as a legal intermediary.

With the above, a government company will appear before Cofepris on behalf of the Russian company to conclude the process initiated with a previous favorable provisional authorization.

Cofepris has known the Sputnik V vaccine’s information after López-Gatell made a visit to Argentina and provided the compound’s dossier. However, the information was informal and what is expected now is the formalization of the authorization.

With the authorization, the antigen mentioned above, in a few days -next week- Mexico could acquire 24 million doses that would serve to immunize 12 million older adults. As stated above, most vaccines require two applications per person.