Developing a vaccine is not an easy task . It is a complicated process, full of stages and that usually lasts several years in order to make the resulting vaccine safe and effective when administered to millions and millions of people around the world. However, we are facing a coronavirus pandemic that is approaching 50 million infections throughout the planet and it is urgent to speed up the processes before a health event for which humanity was not prepared.
Spanish vaccine
One of the initiatives, which are more than 240 underway , according to the World Health Organization, is Spanish. The vaccine against COVID-19 is being developed by a researcher at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital in Badalona, specifically Dr. Pere-Joan Cardona, from the microbiology service of said hospital.
Although it is not the only Spanish vaccine in development, it is the first Spanish vaccine that has received authorization to carry out an international clinical trial; and this will take place in Argentina.
The tests, in Argentina
Taking into account that it is the first Spanish vaccine against COVID-19 authorized for an international trial, it is remarkable that it is the first Spanish vaccine to begin this phase. The pharmaceutical company has already started the logistical procedures for it to arrive in Argentina, where the coronavirus vaccine will be tested, within a month and it can begin to be administered to health personnel.
In total, the vaccine will be tested with 369 Argentine volunteers , but it is expected, after negotiation with the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Aemps), that trials can also be carried out in Spain, Mexico or Italy in a near future.
What will the vaccine trial be like?
The experiment is a double-blind study with placebo, lasting nine months and that will serve to evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing infection and reducing mortality from this coronavirus in healthcare personnel.
Is the vaccine exclusive for COVID-19?
It is not a specific vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, as it is initially designed against tuberculosis, but it is expected to be effective against other viral infections, such as the coronavirus in this case. According to the pharmaceutical company that manufactures it , it has a revitalizing effect on the immune system , which is why the body is able to respond more effectively to a second infection, which scientists immersed in this development are calling “trained immunity.”
The company seeks more capital
Although the funding to begin human studies comes from public resources from the Catalan Government obtained by the Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), which represents an aid of 450,000 euros, the company is looking for more capital.
For the moment, this small Spanish biotech company has opened a financing round through a crowdfunding or crowdfunding platform. Their request is 1.6 million euros that they hope to obtain through the platform specialized in this type of online collective financing, Capital Cell.
