After the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, who developed the vaccine Sputnik V, will answer that could not answer the questions asked by the deputies of the Health and Social Action Commission, a group of opposition legislators expressed concern about the lack of information regarding this serum and demanded that the Government require the Russian Fund for Direct Investment to present the necessary documentation for the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The questions presented are not within the scope of the authority of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology”Replied the authorities of that organization. The deputies had sent questions related to the production, acquisition and distribution of Sputnik V. Now the legislators hope that the Russian Fund for Direct Investment will answer the 15 questions.
When excusing itself from answering the questions, the Gamaleya Institute stated that “activities to promote the Sputnik V vaccine in international markets, including the Argentine Republic, are carried out by the Direct Investment Fund of Russia in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation ”.
The questions of the opposition deputies that the Gamaleya Institute did not answer
A member of that commission told TN.com.ar that the inquiries related to the production of the vaccine could have been answered by the Gamaleya Institute. Among other inquiries, legislators wanted to know when the Russian authorities made the first of the dose offers, what caused the delays in the delivery of the Sputnik V and if the sellers knew about the production difficulties at the time of signing the contract.
The request for explanations to Russia was sent after the letter from the presidential adviser was known Cecilia Nicolini to the manager of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Anatoly Braverman claiming the second doses of Sputnik V. In that letter, the official threatened to “Publicly cancel” the contract.
Visibly annoyed by the lack of response, the deputies recalled that it was the head of the Chamber of Deputies himself Sergio Massa the one that asked them to send inquiries through the Foreign Ministry since it was a contract negotiated in a state-to-state manner. The answer was known just days after the WHO assured that the approval process of Sputnik V was suspended due to irregularities in one of its production plants. A delegation from that international body is expected to visit Russia again in October to verify that these anomalies have been corrected.
The opposition’s claim for the approval of Sputnik V by the WHO
In this sense, the deputies demanded that the national government formally require “Human Vaccine Limited Liability” to submit the necessary documentation to WHO and other international organizations for the approval of the Sputnik V vaccines. This situation causes millions of Argentines to be unable to enter countries such as the United States and other European nations.
“Argentina was one of the first to approve the vaccine in the national territory and government officials made two trips to Russia to verify the facilities, including the current Minister of Health of the Nation, and had access to the documentation of the experts from the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology ”, argued the deputies.
And they added: “For all this, we request that the National Ministry of Health and ANMAT make themselves available to collaborate with the necessary information that allows a prompt approval of the vaccine by the WHO and the main control agencies such as the EMA and the FDA ”.
The legislators also pointed out that there are no dates for new presentations by AstraZeneca or the rest of the laboratories that signed contracts with the government. So far only the authorities of Pfizer and Richmond, which packages Sputnik V in the country, have been present.
