The Ministry of Health and the Butantan Institute, linked to the Government of São Paulo, have not yet signed contracts for the supply of vaccines from the PNI (National Immunization Program) in 2023.
In an event with the press last Tuesday (29), Dimas Covas, former director of the institute, said that there is still no agreement established for the production and delivery of doses for the National Vaccination Campaign against the flu of the year that he comes.
“We are producing doses of vaccine against influenza without a contract,” he said. The decision not to wait is motivated by the large amount of bottles needed for the campaign. For Butantan, there might not be enough time to manufacture the approximately 80 million doses if production was postponed.
Other vaccines have expired contracts and were not negotiated for 2023. This is the case, according to Dimas, of the vaccine against HPV (human papillomavirus), which helps protect against cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina and anus.
dTpa, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, also did not have its supply agreement renewed.
Questioned, the Ministry of Health reported this Thursday afternoon (1st) that the flu vaccine acquisition process “is in progress and will be completed in a timely manner to start next year’s campaign”.
Regarding the other two immunizers, the folder claimed that processes are underway for hiring and are treated “with the highest priority”.
“It is worth emphasizing that all processes and flows for planning and acquiring vaccines follow the normal procedures of the annual supply chain”, said the government’s portfolio Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Asked whether there are other expired PNI vaccine contracts and whether it intends to renew them until the end of the year or leave the signature to the new management, the government did not respond.
At the same event with journalists, Butantan’s director of vaccine production, Ricardo Oliveira, said that the institution has the capacity to offer the bivalent vaccine against the coronavirus already used in China, but it is necessary for the ministry to demonstrate willingness to adopt the updated product. .
“Just come [que temos capacidade de envasar]🇧🇷 Of course, it depends on the federal government, the Ministry of Health and the PNI to be interested in incorporating the vaccine”, he said.
Health made an agreement with Butantan for the purchase of 100 million doses of Coronavac in 2021. In 2022, the government made an additional purchase of 10 million pediatric doses, but there was no renewal of the contract for the inclusion of updated vaccines.
In the last week, several capitals suspended the vaccination of children aged 3 and 4 against Covid-19 due to lack of vaccine.
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