The research Design, Development and Preclinical Evaluation of Soberana 02: a Cuban vaccine against COVID-19 received the Jorge Gavilondo Cowley in Memóriam Annual Immunology Award, in the context of the recent Latin American and Caribbean Immunology Congress (Alaci-2022).

The Cuban News Agency reports that the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), in an official Twitter account, shared the diploma accrediting said award, obtained in the thematic sphere of basic research.

Photo: ACN

"In the framework of the Latin American and Caribbean Congress of Immunology #ALACI2022, the Annual Immunology Award "Jorge Gavilondo Cowley in memoriam" was awarded to the work "Design, Development and Preclinical Evaluation of #Soberana02: a Cuban vaccine against #COVID19" , refers the tweet.

Developed by the IFV, Soberana 02 is an anti-COVID-19 conjugate vaccine, which, after preclinical investigations, was used in phase I, II and III clinical studies, demonstrating safety, immunogenicity and efficacy against symptomatic disease of a 71 percent (%), with only two doses, and 92.4%, in combination with a third dose of Soberana Plus.

Likewise, the first pediatric vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in the world took place with this immunogen, which was administered to Cuban children between the ages of two and 18, with satisfactory results.

Photo: Irene Pérez

Cuba began vaccinating children two years and older in September 2021, much earlier than most other countries, and much richer. Now it is carrying out phase 2 clinical trials with children under two years of age, a fact that has marked a milestone not only for the Caribbean nation, but for the world that recognizes that vaccination strategy that placed all people at the center, including their girls and boys.

In April 2022, in statements to Cubadebate, Dr. Dagmar García Rivera, Director of Research at the IFV, stated: “Soberana 02 is a vaccine specially designed for children, which managed to demonstrate in clinical trials all the advantages that conjugate vaccines provide for the population. pediatric In Cuba, after vaccination with Soberana 02, no child has died from covid-19.”

She also specified that at that time the world was waiting for emergency use authorizations from Pfizer and Moderna for children between two and five years of age, and highlighted: “they are delayed, because all the evidence is not yet available.” However, for months the Sovereign 02 vaccine has had all the evidence of immunogenicity, safety and efficacy to be used between two and five years of age”.

Then it became clear that more than 70,000 Cuban children stopped being infected in the midst of the wave of the omicron variant, thanks to the impact of the massive pediatric anticovid vaccination campaign in the country.

Acknowledgments to Sovereign vaccines

The medical journal Vaccine published in February 2022 the safety and immunogenicity results of the Cuban Soberana 01 and Soberana Plus vaccines. See article A randomized, double-blind phase I clinical trial of two recombinant dimeric RBD COVID-19 vaccine candidates: Safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity

The prestigious international journal The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, from the Lancet series, also published an article on Soberana Plus in September 2021, entitled "A single dose of the FINLAY-FR-1A vaccine increases the neutralizing response in convalescents from COVID- 19, and has an excellent safety profile.”