Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Ministry of Health, and AstraZeneca signed, this Friday (31/7), a document that will provide basis for the agreement among laboratories regarding the technology transfer and the production of 100 million doses of the vaccine against Covid-19, in case its effectiveness and safety are proven. The understanding is the following step to the negotiations held by the federal government, the British Embassy, and the laboratory AstraZeneca.

Ministry of Health predicts a transfer of BRL 522.1 million for the vaccine processing. Other BRL 1.3 billion is relative to the technological order, which will allow the receipt of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and the technology transfer. In addition to this, investments of BRL 85.6 million will be transferred for the necessary adaptations to the productive and quality control areas of the Immunological Technology Institute (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz). The objective is to increase the national capacity regarding the production of vaccines and the technology available for people protection. 

"We have taken another important step for the formalization of the agreement among the laboratories. This action from the federal government means a great advance for the development of national technology and for the protection of Brazilian population", declares Camile Giaretta, director of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health.

The Memorandum of Understanding, which defines the economic and technological parameters to produce a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, is already undergoing clinical studies in Brazil and in other countries. The agreement predicts the beginning of the vaccine production in Brazil as of December this year and ensures complete technological domain so that Bio-Manguinhos is able to produce the vaccine in an independent manner.

"Over its 120 years of history, Fiocruz always answered the biggest issues of SUS and the sanitary emergencies. In face of the Covid-19 pandemic, to reach this moment of signing the agreement with the pharmaceutical AstraZeneca and to perform the technological order and the incorporation of the technology in Bio-Manguinhos is a crucial step to save lives and to ensure the autonomy and the sovereignty of our country when it comes to the vaccine issue", highlights Nísia Trindade, Fiocruz's president.