Soberana 2 COVID-19 Vaccine: Cuba has developed the world’s first conjugate Covid-19 vaccine Soberana 2 (Sovereign 2). Cuba’s State-run corporation BioFarma confirmed on July 9, 2021 that its indigenously produced Soberana 2 vaccine showed 91.2% efficacy when delivered with a booster shot of Soberana Plus during phase-3 clinical trials.
If approved, Cuba will become the first Latin American country indigenously develop and produce a vaccine against Covid-19. Following the announcement of the efficacy results, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked the island nation’s scientists for working on the vaccine.
Esa victoria sólo es comparable al tamaño de nuestros sacrificios. Y es una clarinada de los pobres de la tierra, un aviso del poder que dan la resistencia, la unidad, la consagración y el amor a la #Patria que tan hermosamente describen los versos martianos en #Abdala. pic.twitter.com/c7z3eugvjp
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) June 22, 2021
What is Soberana 02 vaccine?Cuba's Soberana 02 vaccine, developed by the Finlay Institute in partnership with the Centre for Molecular Immunology and the National Biopreparations Centre, is a conjugate vaccine that carries part of the spike protein from the virus, binding it to human cells. It is one of the three vaccines in Soberana series. |
What is a Conjugate vaccine?
A conjugate vaccine combines a weak antigen with a strong antigen as a carrier so that the immune system has a stronger response to the weak antigen.
How does a conjugate vaccine work?
The conjugate vaccines are used to prevent diseases by invoking an immune response to an antigen, the foreign part of a bacterium or virus that the immune system recognizes. The vaccine comprises a dead version of a pathogenic bacterium or virus, so that the immune system can recognize the antigen later in life.
In Soberana 2 vaccine, the spike protein is chemically linked to the tetanus toxoid, making it a conjugate vaccine.
What is the advantage of a conjugate vaccine?
• The advantage of the conjugate vaccines include their ability to elicit immunological memory and to reduce asymptomatic carriage of the bacteria, resulting in marked herd immunity.
• The conjugate vaccines also have a very good safety record and have been associated with very few serious adverse events in more than 20 years.
• The vaccines give rise to improved immune memory and offer long-lasting protection.
• They also offer protection to infants and toddlers.
• Their above 90% efficacy puts them in a select league.
Examples of conjugate vaccine
The most common conjugate vaccines are those used for Haemophilus influenzae type b and the pneumococcal bacteria.
How is Soberana 2 is administered?
The Soberana 2 vaccine is administered in three shots, which includes two shots of Soberana 2 and one shot of Soberana Plus.
What is the efficacy rate of Soberana 2?
When administered along with the booster shot of Soberana Plus, the Soberana 2 vaccine has shown an efficacy of 91.2 percent in last-stage trials.
What is the dosage gap for Soberana 2?
The Soberana 2 vaccine is administered in a gap of 0-28-56-days.
What is the storage criteria?
The design and manufacturing of the Soberana 2 allow it to be stored in regular refrigeration settings of 2–8 degree Celsius.
How many COVID-19 vaccines are currently being developed in Cuba?• Cuba is currently working on five coronavirus vaccines and it started vaccinating its population using two of them -- Abdala and Soberana 2 -- even before they received approval. The nation has not bought or sought vaccines from elsewhere and aims to immunize its population before the end of the year with its own vaccines. • Around 6.8 million people out of Cuba's total 11.2 million people have received at least one dose of either vaccine, of which 1.6 million have received the required three doses. Both Soberana 2 and Abdala are three-dose vaccines. • The Soberana 2 vaccine is by far the only coronavirus vaccine candidate that relies on conjugate vaccine technology. Both Abdala and Soberana are subunit vaccines, which means that a part of the virus forms the antigen and is hitched on to another construct. • In the Abdala vaccine, the COVID-19 spike protein is combined with a chemically manufactured adjuvant, while in Soberana 2, the spike protein is chemically linked to the tetanus toxoid, making it a conjugate vaccine. |
Background
The Center for State Control of Medicines and Medical Equipment (CECMED) of Cuba gave emergency use approval to Abdala COVID-19 vaccine on July 9, 2021. Soberana 2 is expected to get approval soon as well.
The Abdala vaccine has shown 92.28 percent efficacy with its three-dose schedule during phase III clinical trials, which exceeds WHO's requirement of 50 percent efficacy. While the Cuban efficacy claims have not been peer-reviewed, if the results are accurate, they would Cuba in the select group of nations -the United States, Germany and Russia that have produced vaccines with the efficacy of more than 90% - Novavax, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sputnik V.
Several countries have shown interest in the Cuban vaccines with Iran already launching widespread trials of Soberana-02. Mexico is also in talks with Cuba to begin trials soon. Among other nations, Suriname and Ghana are also reportedly interested in buying Cuban vaccines when they are ready.
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