Pfizer and Sinergium Biotech entered into a collaboration agreement that will allow comprehensive production of the twenty-valent pneumococcal vaccine to begin in the country. It is expected that this private association will allow coverage to be extended nationally and the vaccine exported to the entire region, generating a foreign exchange income for the country of close to 100 million dollars.
The Minister of Health of the Nation, Mario Lugones, met today with authorities of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Cooperative Consortium of Pfizer and the Argentine pharmaceutical company Sinergium Biotech S.A. to celebrate collaboration agreements that will enable the transfer of highly complex technology for the local production of the Twenty-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (VCN20) in Argentina and that will improve access to it throughout the region of the Americas.
The initiative was presented by Pfizer and Sinergium Biotech to the National Ministry of Health and declared of public interest through Resolution 4844/2024 in October of last year. It represents an approximate investment of 20 million dollars for training, engineering works and acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and transfer of technological knowledge.
During the meeting, the agreement signed between PAHO/WHO and Pfizer was also celebrated so that the pneumococcal vaccine produced in the country can be distributed to the rest of the region through the Revolving Fund that allows the countries of the Americas to access vaccines and public health supplies at affordable prices, in a timely and transparent manner.
meeting in the ministry of health for a public-private agreement in health
The local production of VCN20 will make it possible for Argentina to become the first producing country in Latin America and one of the few countries in the world with this capacity. This enables an export potential that in economic terms represents close to 100 million dollars.
The initiative also marks a before and after in the production of vaccines at the regional level, improving accessibility for the population throughout the region of the Americas. Likewise, it is a clear example of the benefits that can be obtained from the coordination between private parties and the collaboration of the State and international organizations.
The development and local availability of VCN20 provides the opportunity to optimize vaccine coverage. The new vaccine incorporates 7 serotypes that are responsible for causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children in countries with existing pneumococcal vaccination programs.
photo agreement ops pfizer sinergium and health
On behalf of the Ministry of Health of the Nation, the vice minister, Cecilia Loccisano, participated in the meeting; the head of the Cabinet of Advisors, Roberto Olivieri Pinto, the secretary of Health Management, Alejandro Vilches, the undersecretary of Health Planning and Programming, Saúl Flores, the national director of International Relations, Mariana Vázquez Durán and the general director of Administration, Sabrina Fittipaldi . On behalf of PAHO/WHO, the manager of the Revolving Fund and Strategic Fund of PAHO Washington, Santiago Cornejo, the director of Purchasing, Daniel Rodríguez and the representative of PAHO/WHO in Argentina, Eva Jané Llopis, were present.
Representing Pfizer, the president for Latin America, Sinan Atlig, the General Manager in Argentina, Agustina Ruiz Villamil, the Regional Director of Vaccines, Ignacio Romano, and the Director of Corporate Affairs, Santiago Veiga, participated in the meeting. Finally, on behalf of Sinergium Biotech, the CEO, Alejandro Gil, the Business Development Director, Fernando Lobos, the Commercial Manager, Leonardo Ruiz Díaz, and the Head of Communication, Belén Varela, participated.
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