Brazil authorizes import of raw material to produce Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

In a statement, it said had received authorization to import materials that correspond to 40 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine. The Sinovac vaccine, which is in Phase III tests in Brazil, has sparked a heated dispute between President Jair Bolsonaro and the governor of São Paulo, João Doria, a political opponent, as the Butantan is linked to the São Paulo state government.

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa said on Wednesday it has authorized the import of raw materials from Chinese company Sinovac for the production of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Sao Paulo's biomedical institute Butantan plans to produce the vaccine. In a statement, it said had received authorization to import materials that correspond to 40 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine.

The Sinovac vaccine, which is in Phase III tests in Brazil, has sparked a heated dispute between President Jair Bolsonaro and the governor of São Paulo, João Doria, a political opponent, as the Butantan is linked to the São Paulo state government. Bolsonaro vetoed an agreement made by his Minister of Health, Eduardo Pazuello, which provided for the purchase of 46 million doses of the vaccine with the aim of integrating them into the National Immunization Program.

The president, a longstanding China critic, said the vaccine is not secure because of "its origin" and has no credibility.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)