NOV. 4, 2020

President Piñera praised the hard work on clinical trials in Chile to develop COVID-19 vaccines: "We have been working for months to ensure that a safe and effective vaccine will be available as soon as possible"

Currently, there are four research groups working in Chile. The Government is pursuing agreements to purchase vaccines when they become available.

President Sebastián Piñera led a meeting with health authorities and academics at La Moneda Palace on Wednesday to hear the latest progress on clinical trials being conducted in Chile to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. 

"In order to ensure that this vaccine will be available as soon as possible, we have been totally dedicated for several months to simultaneously progressing two areas, which are clinical trials and the supply of vaccines,” emphasized the President. He was accompanied by the First Lady, Cecilia Morel, and the ministers of Health, Enrique Paris, Science, Andrés Couve, and Foreign Affairs, Andrés Allamand.

The development of vaccines is currently focused on four candidates, and these are the Universidad Católica with the Sinovac Laboratory, the Universidad de Chile with the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson Laboratory, the Universidad de Chile with Clínica Las Condes and the AstraZeneca Laboratory, and the Universidad de la Frontera with the CanSino Laboratory. 

The first three laboratories have already received approval from the Chilean Public Health Institute (ISP) to begin Phase 3 clinical trials in Chile, which means that trials will involve more volunteers than the previous phase. To this end, vaccines arrived in Chile on Tuesday that will form part of this study. 

"These studies and clinical trials will secure the timely availability of a coronavirus vaccine and promote scientific and technological development in our country," said the President.

The President highlighted that an agreement was reached weeks ago with the Covax Global Alliance, an initiative led by the World Health Organization, the European Union and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will provide 7.6 million vaccines.

He also mentioned an agreement with Pfizer - Biontech, which will provide 10 million additional vaccines, and that progress is being achieved on vaccine supply contracts with AstraZeneca - Oxford University, Janssen - Johnson & Johnson and Sinovac.

"We all know that a safe and effective vaccine that is available to all who need it will be a huge contribution to defeating the coronavirus and protecting our health and lives," said the President.

The meeting was also attended by the undersecretaries of Public Health, Paula Daza, of Healthcare Networks, Alberto Dougnac, of International Economic Relations, Rodrigo Yáñez, the ISP Director, Heriberto García, the rector of the Universidad de Chile, Ennio Vivaldi, and specialists participating in the studies.