 | This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is:Results of the investigation and further implications in 2021 and into 2022.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2022) |
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| Native name | Caso Covaxin |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 June 2021; 4 years ago (2021-06-16) |
| Time | (UTC−3) |
| Duration | 4 years and 8 months |
| Location | Brazil |
| Also known as | Covaxgate |
| Type | Alleged overbilling of 20 million doses of Covaxin vaccine by members of the Brazilian government |
TheCase Covaxin, also known asCovaxgate, refers to an investigation made by the BrazilianFederal Public Ministry (MPF), held on 16 June 2021, which found evidence of irregularities in the purchase of 20 million doses by theMinistry of Health of the Indian vaccineCovaxin, with the value of the vaccines 1000% higher than initially foreseen.[1][2][3][4]
TheProsecutor General of the Republic has also asked to investigate whether PresidentJair Bolsonaro committed the crime ofmisfeasance, for allegedly failing to report to investigative bodies evidence ofcorruption in the negotiations to purchase the vaccine.[5]
An investigation by theFederal Public Ministry (MPF), conducted on 16 June 2021, found evidence of irregularities in the purchase of 20 million doses of the vaccine through the pharmaceutical company Precisa Medicamentos, with the value of the vaccines 1000% higher than the initial value shown initially by Bharat Biotech six months earlier.[6] On 29 June, the contract for the purchase of the vaccine was suspended by theMinistry of Health after "controversies".[7]
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On Friday, 25 June 2021, Congressman Luis Miranda (DEM-DF) and his brother, Luis Ricardo Miranda, a civil servant at the Ministry of Health, were heard at theCOVID-19 CPI.[8] The Miranda brothers said that the contract for the purchase of the Indian vaccineCovaxin was agenda. During testimony, Ricardo Miranda refutedOnyx Lorenzoni's accusations.[9] After suspecting corruption in the Covaxin purchase, the congressman and the civil servant claim that they would have met with President Bolsonaro.[10]
On 2 July 2021, theProsecutor General of the Republic asked theSupreme Federal Court to open an inquiry to investigate Bolsonaro for the possible crime ofmisfeasance in the Covaxin vaccine overbilling case, in a development of the investigations carried out by theCOVID-19 CPI.[11]
By determination of the STF ministerDias Toffoli and appreciated by theCOVID-19 CPI, theFederal Police searched the headquarters of Precisa Medicamentos in São Paulo. The vaccine contract, already cancelled, is also investigated by theFederal Audit Court and theFederal Public Prosecutor's Office.[12]
Covaxin is avaccine against COVID-19 produced inIndia by the Bharat Biotech laboratory.[13] In January 2021, Precisa Med signed a contract with Bharat Biotech to supply Covaxin in Brazil.[14]
It was one of the first to be used in the world for emergency vaccination and would be one of the vaccines applied by Brazil, where it would be produced in partnership with Precisa Medicamentos, and theMinistry of Health estimated to use it in February 2021.[15][16] On 5 February 2021, theNational Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) announced that it had received an application to study the vaccine in Brazil.[17]
On 26 February the Government of Brazil announced that it would buy 20 million doses of the Indian Covaxin vaccine.[18]
On 30 March 2021, Anvisa announced that it had denied the manufacturer the Good Manufacturing Practices Certificate due to "health risk to users," having found, after an inspection of Bharat in India, "non-conformities, being three critical, 12 major and 14 minor, which together denote a significant risk to manufacturing and quality assurance of the product."[19][20]
The vaccine was approved for emergency use at the end of February 2021.[21]
| Vacinal candidate (developer/financier) | Current situation | Effectiveness | Country of origin | Technology | Testing phase; number of participants | Adverse effects | References and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covaxin or BBV152 (Bharat Biotech) | Released for emergency use[22] | 81% | India | Inactivated virus | Phase 3 closed; 25,800 participants | Common: pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue and fever | [23][24][25] Note 1: the vaccine was released in India before data from phase 2 trials Note 2: in Brazil it would be produced in partnership withPrecisa MedicamentosArchived 2021-09-17 at theWayback Machine |
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