Corona Daily 039: Out with Bolsonaro

This is the story of how Indian vaccines may bring down the Brazilian president. I have written earlier about Jair Bolsonaro. He is Donald Trump with a military background.

Covaxin is a 100% Indian vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech. The company representatives visited the Brazilian ministry of health in November 2020. Covaxin was not yet approved in India, the phase III trials had just started. On 3 January 2021, the Indian government gave Covaxin an accelerated approval (given before trials were complete). The data submitted by Bharat biotech was patchy.

 The same week, a team from Brazil’s Precisa Medicamentos visited the Bharat Biotech facility in India. Bharat biotech signed a deal to export the vaccine to Brazil.

Pfizer has proven to be one of the more effective covid vaccines. The Pfizer management had been offering Pfizer to Bolsonaro. Reportedly, the offer was never taken up.

On 4 Feb 2021, the Brazilian government declared it would buy Covaxin for public use. Private hospitals in Brazil could buy it once it was approved by ANVISA, the Brazilian regulatory authority. A deal was signed. The Brazilian health ministry would pay $324 million to Precisa Medicamentos, Bharat Biotech’s representative in Brazil, for 20 million doses. Covaxin had not yet completed the phase III trials.

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On 20 March, Luis Claudio Miranda, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s party, and his brother Ricardo Miranda, a health ministry official, met Bolsonaro privately. They warned him about a series of irregularities in the Covaxin deal. They expected the president to start an investigation.

Towards the end of March 2021, ANVISA denied permission to import Covaxin. Its officials found that the factory in Hyderabad did not meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) requirements. Without that an emergency authorization cannot be given.

In April, when asked about ANVISA’s report, Bharat Biotech’s managing director Krishna Ella said “it was a product of Brazilian nationalism, and a desire to keep an Indian vaccine out of the country. Each country wants to defame (sic) the other countries and their vaccine strategies. It’s a global phenomenon. We don’t have to worry about it.”

The Indian magic or the Brazilian compassion worked. On 4 June, ANVISA gave Covaxin an Emergency Use Approval. The approval had certain conditions attached. Bharat Biotech should export only 4 million doses. ANVISA would analyse the data before allowing any further imports.

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A congressional commission dealing with covid-19 became suspicious of the whole affair. They gave several reasons. (1) Brazil had ignored repeated offers from Pfizer, an established company that had offered millions of doses. The Covaxin deal was speedily signed. (2) Covaxin had not yet completed clinical trials. (3) Prices were higher than initially quoted and (4) the sale was effected through a middleman.

A stormy debate began in parliament. Luis Claudio Miranda was called as a witness. He wore a bulletproof jacket when giving his testimony. He narrated the March meeting with the president. He described the extraordinary pressure on the health ministry to buy Covaxin.

The committee found no evidence that the president had ordered any investigation.

On 25 June, a Supreme Court Judge requested and the attorney general’s office began an investigation into president Bolsonaro’s role in the vaccine corruption scandal. A group of 100 legislators presented draft impeachment articles.

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President Bolsonaro didn’t dispute government officials may have acted unlawfully. But it had nothing to do with him. “I have no way of knowing what’s happening in the ministries.” He said. “I am incorruptible.”

On 26 June, several Brazilian cities had large scale protest marches shouting “out with Bolsonaro.” One large sign said: “The people only take to the streets in the middle of a pandemic when the government is more dangerous than the virus.”

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On 29 June, the Brazilian government announced suspension of the contract. On 30 June, Bharat Biotech released a statement saying the procurement process was misrepresented in the media. The company had followed its standard procedure and had offered the standard price.

In India, people wondered how Bharat Biotech planned to export vaccines when India has an export ban due to domestic shortages.

Ravi