Patria Vaccine Could be Ready in 2023

The Mexican COVID-19 vaccine “Patria,” which is currently awaiting approval for Phase III clinical trials, could be incorporated in the country’s vaccination campaign and be distributed for additional “booster” shots as early as next year, said Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell.

“If the news continues being positive, it is very likely that during the second semester of 2022 there will be a Phase III clinical trial and, in its moment, the vaccine could be used generally. Its main use could be as a universal booster, given that we have the primary scheme covered,” said López-Gatell.

The vaccine showed a “very powerful immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus” during Phase I clinical trials, according to López-Gatell. It is now undergoing Phase II trials on 400 volunteers who completed their COVID-19 vaccination scheme last December.

The development of the Patria vaccine was announced in Jan. 2021 by Director of the National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT) María Elena Álvarez Bullya Roces to make Mexico self-sufficient in its vaccination campaign. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador later announced that 30 percent of Patria vaccines will be distributed to countries in need.

The public and private sectors are involved in the vaccines’ production as funding is being provided by the Mexican government and the laboratory Avimex, a Mexican company with over 70 years of experience in medicine and biological research and manufacturing. So far, over MX$150 million (US$7.26 million) have been invested in the project.  The vaccine will be one of the few in the world to be administered either nasally or intramuscularly.  

Phase III testing will require many more volunteers than Phase II testing. A total of 30,000 volunteers will have to be selected to ensure the vaccine’s maximum safety and efficiency before it can be approved by regulatory authorities. Volunteers must meet 27 requirements including: be at least 18 years of age, live in Mexico City and not be currently participating in another clinical trial. Data collected will be protected under the Personal Data Protection Law and not shared with third parties.