Brazil to inspect vaccine laboratories in China

A mission organized by Brazil’s national sanitary regulator Anvisa will inspect companies involved in the research into vaccines against COVID-19. From November 30 to December 11, representatives from the agency will assess conditions at laboratories of Sinovac and Wuxi Biologics.

The trip aims to ascertain whether companies meet the necessary requirements for the registration of vaccines, should ongoing studies prove their efficiency, and if the companies wish to trade the medicines in Brazil.

Sinovac is developing vaccine CoronaVac in partnership with the Butantan Institute, linked to the São Paulo state government.

Wuxi Biologics manufactures supplies for the Oxford vaccine, which is also in its testing phase, developed by a consortium formed by Oxford University and laboratory Astrazeneca. Even before the conclusion of studies and proof of efficiency, the Brazilian government signed a deal with the responsible group to acquire supplies for the manufacture of the vaccine in the country, a task that should be under the responsibility of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

Last week, Fiocruz stated it will submit documents to Anvisa for the assessment of tests conducted by Astrazeneca and the university’s research team. Fiocruz is expected to star producing vaccine doses in January next year.