Coronavirus

Brazilian health regulators allow CoronaVac trials to continue

A diretora de Coordenação e Articulação do Sistema Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (DSNVS), Alessandra Bastos, o diretor-presidente, Antonio Barra e o Gerente-geral de Medicamentos e Produtos Biológicos, Gustavo Mendes, durante entrevista coletiva para falar sobre a interrupção dos estudos da vacina Coronavac

After a meeting, Brazilian health regulators Anvisa authorized the resumption of late-stage clinical trials of the CoronaVac vaccine, held by the São Paulo-based Butantan Biological Institute.

Anvisa said that it will “continue to monitor the investigation of the outcome of the case so that the possible causal relationship between the unexpected serious adverse event and the vaccine is defined.”

On Monday 9, Anvisa suspended trials of the Chinese-developed CoronaVac vaccine, after encountering a “severe adverse event” in one of the volunteers in Brazil.

However, the death of the volunteer from the CoronaVac clinical trial was caused by suicide and was not related with vaccine, according to a report from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

On the morning of the original suspension, President Jair Bolsonaro celebrated the decision, writing on social media that “Jair Bolsonaro wins again.” The president has been opposed to the CoronaVac from the outset, seeing it as a political project of his right-wing rival João Doria, the governor of the state of São Paulo.