Brazil is pushing to make its own vaccines using mRNA technology, working with its BRICS partnersRussia, India, China, and South Africa.This move comes after the COVID-19 pandemic, where mRNA vaccines became both a breakthrough and a subject of controversy.
Brazils top public health institutions, Fiocruz and Instituto Butantan, are leading the work.They want Brazil to produce vaccines locally, so the country depends less on imports.
The World Health Organization has said that countries making their own vaccines can improve access and respond faster to outbreaks.However, mRNA vaccines have not only been praised.
During the pandemic, many people questioned their long-term safety and the speed at which they were approved.
Reports of serious side effects, like heart inflammation in young men, increased public skepticism.Health agencies such as the CDC and WHO have stated that most side effects are mild and that the benefits outweigh the risks, but debate continues.
Brazils government also sees economic opportunity.Brazils Vaccine Bet: BRICS, mRNA, and the Business of Health Independence.
(Photo Internet reproduction)The vaccine market in BRICS countries could reach $1.38 billion by 2025, according to official business data.
Brazil wants a bigger share, especially since India and China already produce many vaccines.Brazil Aims to Boost Vaccine Production Amid CriticismStill, Brazil faces challenges.
The government has received criticism for slow responses and wasted doses during recent outbreaks.
President Lula da Silva changed health ministers in 2024 to address these issues.The new minister, Alexandre Padilha, must now deliver millions of dengue vaccine doses and improve vaccination rates, which have fallen since COVID-19.Some officials in the United States, like Health Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr., have called for stricter testing and oversight of new vaccines, including mRNA types.He argues that stronger trials are needed, even as most health agencies say current standards are already high.
Brazils plan is about more than public health.By making its own vaccines, Brazil and its BRICS partners hope to avoid shortages and delays like those seen during the pandemic.
They also want to build stronger local industries and have more control over future health emergencies.