The COVID-19 vaccine Abdala has just become the 8th and latest vaccine approved by the Ministry of Health for emergency use in Vietnam in the prevention of COVID-19.
Highly effective in clinical trials
According to information from the Ministry of Health, the COVID-19 Abdala vaccine is manufactured at AICA Laboraries, Base Business Unit (BBU) AICA – Cuba and exported to semi-finished products and packaged at Level 2 at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Technology. Biotechnology (CIGB) – Cuba. Each dose of vaccine contains 50 mcg of recombinant protein vaccine containing the receptor-binding region (RBG) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, prepared in suspension for intramuscular injection. Vaccine is packaged in a box of 10 vials, each containing 10 doses, each dose of 0.5ml. Abdala 3-dose vaccine is one of five COVID-19 vaccines developed and manufactured by Cuba itself.
The vaccine developed by Cuba is not a vector vaccine nor does it work with mRNA technology. Instead, it is a protein vaccine. This means that it carries part of a mutated protein that the virus uses to bind to human cells, thereby producing neutralizing antibodies that block this binding. According to the medical information sites PubMed and Precision Vaccinations, the Cuban vaccine is a subunit vaccine, prepared based on only part of the antigen of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. . The scientists used yeast Pichia pastoris as the receptor binding domain. In June, Cuban state-owned pharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma said that its home-made COVID-19 vaccine Abdala was 92.28% effective in a late-stage clinical trial. In mid-August, Cuba released additional data showing that “only 21,000” (or 0.8%) of the country’s 2.5 million vaccinated people have contracted the disease so far. And of the 21,000 people who contracted the virus after being vaccinated, 99 (0.003%) died, BioCubaFarma said late on August 12.
Advantage in preservation
Cuba’s COVID-19 vaccines require 3 doses, but because they are stable at 2-8 degrees Celsius, no additional cost for specialized refrigeration equipment is required. Therefore, it is easier to use this vaccine in low-income countries than mRNA vaccines that need to be stored in a deep freezer. For example, poor countries in Africa lack the infrastructure to store Pfizer or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the Abdala vaccine will be more suitable for distribution conditions in Africa. Some developing or undeveloped countries, unable to afford vaccines from the US and other Western countries, are turning to Cuba for more affordable vaccines.
Cuban officials claim that some countries have offered to buy more than 100 million doses of the country’s COVID-19 vaccine each year. Mexico and Argentina have expressed interest in the Cuban vaccine. Meanwhile, Venezuela will produce the Abdala vaccine. For Cuba, the development and export of vaccines is not only to protect public health, but also a way for the country to demonstrate its strength in the field of biotechnology, as well as contribute to the economy. economic. Idania Caballero, pharmaceutical scientist at BioCubaFarma, confirmed that Cuban vaccines are developed based on the country’s decades of experience in medical science and are effective against infectious diseases. “The mortality rate from infectious diseases in Cuba, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, is less than 1%. Cuba can today immunize against 13 diseases with 11 vaccines, of which eight are made in Cuba,” she said. born”.
The Abdala vaccine was approved by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health according to the provisions of Article 67 of Decree No. 54/2017/ND-CP dated May 8, 2012 of the Government detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Pharmacy. According to the document, this vaccine is manufactured at AICA Laboraries Company, Base Business Unit (BBU) AICA – Cuba and exported to semi-finished products and packaged at Level 2 at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB). ) – Cuba. In Vietnam, the Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (POLYVAC) is the place to request approval of this vaccine. Each 0.5ml dose of Abdala vaccine contains 50 mcg of recombinant protein vaccine containing the receptor-binding region (RBG) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, prepared as a suspension for intramuscular injection. Vaccine is packaged in a box of 10 vials, each containing 10 doses, each dose of 0.5ml. The Ministry of Health also stipulates the conditions attached to the approval of Abdala for urgent needs in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic.