Amid a slow rollout, Mexico gambles on homemade vaccine

The Mexican government began recruiting volunteers for clinical trials of a domestic-made coronavirus vaccine, named “Patria.” The immunizer is being developed by local private lab Avimex — specialized in pharmaceuticals for veterinary use — and could be ready for distribution by the end of the year, authorities say.

When announcing trials, President Andrés Manuel “AMLO” López Obrador lauded the potential vaccine as proof of Mexico’s scientific sovereignty. “A vaccine with this name [patria means “homeland” in Spanish] means we must always think it is good to be independent,” said AMLO. “It’s not about shutting ourselves out from the globalized world, but rather about being self-sufficient in what is fundamental.”

However, Patria is by no means 100-percent made in Mexico. It relies on technology developed by the Icahn School of Medicine at the New York-based Mount Sinai Health System. In December 2020, the hospital published a...