The Prime Minister of the Spanish Government, together with the Minister of Health and the Director of the AEMPS, visited the biotech company after it received the approval of BIMERVAX®, its vaccine against COVID-19
The Prime Minister of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, visited this Tuesday the headquarters of the biotech pharmaceutical company HIPRA, which has recently received the approval for the commercialisation in the European Union of its vaccine against COVID-19, called BIMERVAX®, the first it has developed for human health. The visit was also attended by the Minister of Health, José Manuel Miñones, the Subdelegate of the Spanish Government in Girona, Albert Bramón and the Director of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, María Jesús Lamas, as well as other authorities.
During the visit, which consisted of a tour of the production facilities, the Prime Minister was accompanied by the Senior Management of HIPRA, the company that has made possible the first vaccine for human health designed and developed in Spain.
The visit culminated with statements by HIPRA's president, David Nogareda, and the Prime Minister of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. Nogareda began by expressing his gratitude to all the people who have made the COVID-19 vaccine possible: hospitals, health personnel, research centres, administrations and the volunteers who have contributed to the project and who, even in the most difficult moments of the pandemic, made an extraordinary effort to ensure that the trials and development of the vaccine continued. Nogareda stated that "BIMERVAX®, due to its characteristics and the results demonstrated to date, is a vaccine that fits very well with the current needs at a global level and we are convinced that the health authorities are interested in having a wider range of vaccines to cover all the needs and profiles of the population".
He concluded his speech by stating that "HIPRA's vaccine is the first and only vaccine against COVID19 designed, developed and manufactured entirely in Europe, so we are confident that it will play an important role in vaccination plans in Spain, Europe and the world" and added that "having companies with the capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines for human health is an important competitive advantage and strengthens our strategic autonomy in the face of future health emergencies".
The Prime Minister of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, who also stressed the importance of Spain's strategic autonomy during his appearance, emphasised that the approval of HIPRA’s vaccine is a "historic milestone for science and research in our country. Examples of success like HPRA’s vaccine help to tell the story of a country that grows in adversity, that knows it is capable of innovating and creating and that looks to the future with confidence to continue advancing". This milestone "reinforces Spain's leading position in the European health sector".
Sánchez also took the opportunity of his visit to HIPRA to thank the company for its contribution to the fight against the pandemic, thanks to the development of a vaccine that is "technically excellent, easy to store, effective and versatile enough to adapt to new variants".
In August 2022, Spain was one of 13 European Union (EU) member states to sign a Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) under which it has the option to purchase up to 250 million doses of HIPRA's vaccine. Spain showed interest in the project from the outset and joined the agreement by arranging the purchase of 3 million doses.
About BIMERVAX® vaccine
It is a bivalent adjuvanted vaccine containing a recombinant protein based on the Beta and Alpha variants of SARS-CoV-2 and is indicated as a booster dose for people over 16 years of age1, 2, 3. Studies have shown it to be a safe, low reactogenic vaccine with a broad ability to neutralise all major variants of the virus, including the Omicron variants. It also suggests longer-lasting protection with fewer adverse effects than the mRNA vaccine1, 2, 3 .
The vaccine is stored at refrigerator temperature, between 2°C and 8°C, facilitating logistics and distribution. It is a "ready-to-use" vaccine, meaning that it does not need to be reconstituted before use, making it easier for healthcare workers.
- BIMERVAX® data sheet.
- Corominas J, Garriga C, Prenafeta A, Moros A, Cañete M, Barreiro A, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of the proteinbased PHH-1V compared to BNT162b2 as a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine in adults vaccinated against COVID-19: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority phase IIb trial. Medrxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.05.22277210
- Corominas J, Garriga C, Prenafeta A, Moros A, Canete M, Barreiro A, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of the proteinbased PHH-1V compared to BNT162b2 as a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine in adults vaccinated against COVID-19: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority phase IIb trial. Lancet Reg Health. 2023; In Press.