Q24N – The alliance of Germany’s BioTech, which developed the vaccine against COVID-19, and the Pfizer consortium have delivered documents to the Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) of the Mexican Government for the sanitary registration of the vaccine.
“BioNtech / Pfizer has already delivered the health registration application file to Cofepris, it is important to be clear that it is delivered, in the next few hours, starting tomorrow’s business day (November 28), it will be reviewed if the file is complete, but it is already good news,” said Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, in charge of managing the pandemic in Mexico.
López-Gatell made the announcement Friday during the daily report on Covid-19.
Mexico reports (as at November 28) 104,873 deaths and 1,090,675 confirmed cases. López-Gatell recalled that one of the commitments of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is that Mexico have timely access to the vaccine.
Approval of the BioNtech / Pfizer vaccine on December 10?
Mexico’s chancellor, Marcelo Ebrard, said earlier in the week that Mexico could start the vaccination in December because the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve the BioNtech / Pfizer vaccine on December 10 and that a few days later the Cofepris would do the same.
“We are going to work very expeditiously to approve this vaccine, which depends on other parties, specifically the companies, as it is not in our control, but we are going to facilitate the work,” López-Gatell promised on Friday.
López-Gatell recognized the logistical challenge posed by the BioNtech / Pfizer vaccine, the first to announce its efficacy. Said vaccine needs to be kept at 70 degrees Celsius below zero in a deep-freezing system that “no country has,” argued the official.
Even so, he announced that they are in conversation with the company, which has offered a technological tool for Mexico to distribute the drug.
