Vaccines for Iran’s People or the World’s Vulnerable?

Fifteen months after the World Health Organization declared the global COVID-19 pandemic, with over 182 million confirmed cases and 3.9 million deaths officially recorded to date, estimates suggest figures two to three times higher.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the only light visible at the end of the tunnel of the greatest global pandemic of the past century is the world’s most extensive vaccination program in human history, with over three billion doses administered globally at the time of writing this note.

However, we must not overlook the fundamental issue that the distribution of coronavirus vaccines worldwide has been severely imbalanced, creating significant concerns. The 74th World Health Assembly, held virtually from Vienna on May 24, 2021, was the scene of protests and lengthy discussions on this very matter.

The WHO Director-General warned at the assembly that “as long as the coronavirus and its variants continue to circulate anywhere on Earth, no country will be safe from the crises caused by the global pandemic.”

Unfortunately, it must be acknowledged that the issue of universal access to effective vaccines approved by credible international authorities has become a fundamental problem for many poor countries due to severe supply-demand imbalances, and practical steps far beyond merely expressing concern or verbal solidarity must be taken urgently. It is worth noting that at the latest meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations held in Britain in June 2021, leaders of the world’s most powerful economies committed to providing one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to poor countries, though they provided no specific timeline, and it remains unclear when their unacceptable delays in providing the vaccines needed for the COVAX program, implemented by the World Health Organization for equitable vaccine distribution, will be resolved.

A Brief Overview of Available Vaccines Worldwide

Currently, based on data from the McGill University-affiliated COVID-19 vaccine tracking website, there are 127 vaccine candidates against coronavirus undergoing evaluation in 367 different clinical trials in various phases across different countries.

Of these, 37 vaccines are in phase one, 50 in phase two, and 37 in phase three clinical trials, with five vaccines having been eliminated due to failure.

According to the same website’s information, 19 vaccines have already been approved by various countries. Of these, only seven vaccines—including Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford, Covishield, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm, and Sinovac—have received emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, which have stricter regulations, have only granted emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Vaccination Status in Iran

Iran is not a poor country, but due to the catastrophic performance of its rulers across various economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions, it has faced numerous problems. Despite benefiting from vast oil and gas reserves and other potentials, the living conditions of most people are dire.

During the past 15 months, the Islamic Republic has provided the minimum social and economic support to vulnerable groups who lost their jobs or became family breadwinners due to COVID-19 disease. This major weakness created conditions for many groups in society to disregard coronavirus restrictions, as they are forced to leave their homes to earn their living, thus creating a negative cycle that has facilitated the spread of the coronavirus.

Since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020, the way Islamic Republic officials managed to contain and control the disease was not only disproportionate to domestic capacities and available resources, but due to the overall system’s inefficiency, mortality and complications from the disease have been higher than the global average relative to Iran’s population.

Although according to official statistics from Iran’s Ministry of Health, approximately 84,000 people have died so far, the World Health Organization estimates, in its most optimistic assessment, that COVID-19 mortality in Iran exceeds 180,000 people.

Aside from the issue of weak coronavirus crisis management, one of the most controversial topics in this area is how Islamic Republic officials have dealt with vaccination against this disease, which is currently considered the only effective means of controlling the global pandemic and returning life to normal.

They announced an undeclared strategic policy of the system, making domestic coronavirus vaccine production their primary goal. In this direction, the Islamic Republic’s leader banned the entry of British and American vaccines into the country, which at one point were the only effective and approved vaccines in the world. This not only lacked any expert justification but, like an immovable stone in the well of the government’s incompetent management, remains a burden to this day.

Simultaneously with this wrong decision by the Islamic Republic’s leader, other senior officials, including the health minister, not only did not object to it but expended all their efforts to justify this “paternal compassion”—as they claimed. Therefore, at the very time when most countries in the region began placing large orders for available vaccines on the market (sometimes at very high prices) by allocating substantial budgets, or expressed readiness to cooperate in conducting clinical trials, the country’s officials launched a domestic vaccine production program and unfortunately did not make effective efforts to procure needed vaccines from foreign production.

This was while common sense and foresight dictated that, given the lack of any certainty about the effectiveness of domestic vaccines (and still lacking it) and considering that countries with far superior history and technology compared to Iran had also tasted failure in producing coronavirus vaccines, they should, in parallel and at least until reaching the stage of domestic vaccine production capability, not deprive the country’s people of effective foreign vaccines. By timely vaccination, they could have prevented further deaths of fellow citizens and prevented the possibility of new waves and the emergence of mutant virus variants.

However, as always, Islamic Republic officials only decided to purchase foreign vaccines when faced with waves of protests and people’s demands for vaccination. Due to problems related to Iran’s non-membership in FATF, sanctions, and on the other hand, increased global demand and longer vaccine delivery times, we have witnessed a chaotic vaccination situation in the country, including delays in the national program, long queues, and disorder in administering the second dose.

It is worth noting that until the time of writing this note, only about 5.8 million doses of foreign vaccines have been administered in Iran, and a population of less than 7 percent have received their first vaccine dose, which is significantly lower compared to countries in the region.

That a country intends to produce coronavirus vaccines or any other vaccine based on national interests and ensuring the supply of strategic goods is not only defensible but praiseworthy. However, regarding Iran under clerical rule, the matter is somewhat different.

First, they have shown over the past 42 years that they lack strategic vision and, despite numerous claims, are incapable of producing technological products that meet international standards. For example, one can point to the automobile industry localization program, which no impartial conscience can deny has failed; a program that, aside from squandering billions of dollars of this nation’s capital, has been the main cause of the increase in road death statistics to an average of 40 people per day.

Second, the corrupt and rentier structure of the existing system has caused every phenomenon, including the production of domestic coronavirus vaccines, to be viewed solely through the lens of securing the abundant interests of various power groups and mafias. Therefore, controlling the global COVID-19 pandemic in clerical Iran and preventing further deaths through domestic coronavirus vaccine production remains uncertain.

What Do We Know About Domestically Produced Vaccines?

The conditions imposed by the global COVID-19 pandemic have reduced vaccine production processes, which sometimes took years, to just a few months. Of course, this does not mean reducing sensitivity or ignoring the standards for producing effective, safe, and low-side-effect vaccines. Rather, the World Health Organization sought to provide conditions for controlling the global pandemic and reducing mortality by accelerating clinical trials and deferring the fourth phase of these trials to after public release, by issuing emergency use authorizations for coronavirus vaccines.

Although no country is required to obtain permission from the World Health Organization for vaccine injection, obtaining it by manufacturing countries can practically be considered double assurance of its effectiveness, safety, and fewer side effects. Also, without obtaining WHO authorization, the export of an important biological product like a vaccine would be virtually impossible.

Unfortunately, statements from health ministry officials suggest that not only do they lack the intention to obtain permission from credible international authorities, but they have decided to begin injecting domestically produced vaccines even without completing clinical trial phases and without publishing results in credible domestic or foreign publications. Clear examples of this dangerous and unscientific innovation were the issuance of emergency use authorization for “Cov-Iran Barkat” and “Pastocovac” vaccines, whose phase three clinical trials have not yet concluded.

This action, which was carried out contrary to all international protocols, was even opposed by the deputy of research and technology of the health ministry itself; an opposition that led nowhere, and the publicity vaccination of one of these vaccines by Ayatollah Khamenei, while striking the pose of Qajar kings, was the final seal on any internal system opposition.

It appears that Islamic Republic officials, rather than viewing vaccines as a means to control the global pandemic and save Iranian lives, are converting them into a tool for ideological propaganda in line with anti-Western goals. The nonsensical remarks of the IRGC commander about exporting vaccines to America or the health minister’s delusions about transforming Iran into a vaccination center for the world’s vulnerable should be evaluated in this context.

Based on information from the Scientific and Technological Vice Presidency of the Iranian Presidency, there are currently six vaccines in the clinical trial phase:

• First- The “Cov-Iran Barkat” vaccine, manufactured by Shafa Pharmed Company, a subsidiary of the Barekat pharmaceutical group affiliated with the Imam’s Executive Headquarters, which is run by the Office of the Leader. This vaccine is in phase three clinical trials and uses “killed virus” technology.
• Second- The “Pastocovac” vaccine, a product of collaboration between the Pasteur Institute of Iran and the Finlay Institute of Cuba. This vaccine is also in phase three clinical trials, and the technology used is conjugated recombinant protein. This vaccine completed phases one and two in Cuba and was presented there under the name Soberana 02 (meaning sovereignty).
• Third- A vaccine to be produced by the Razi Institute that has completed phase one and is in the data analysis stage. The technology used in this vaccine is also recombinant protein.
• Fourth- The vaccine from Milad Daro Noor Company, which in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense is in phase one clinical trials. The technology of this vaccine is also “killed virus” and is set to be marketed under the name “Fakhravacc.”
• Fifth- A vaccine developed by SinaGen in collaboration with Australia, which is in phases two and three clinical trials. This vaccine is recombinant protein type and its phase one was conducted in Australia.
• Sixth- The “Nora” vaccine, to be produced by NoArgen Company in collaboration with Baqiyatallah University affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. This vaccine is also recombinant protein type and is in phase one clinical trials. Additionally, three other vaccines in Iran are in pre-clinical study phases:
  • A- The vaccine from Dramangestar Renap Company in collaboration with Ariogen, which is in the primate challenge test phase. This vaccine will be mRNA type.
  • B- HomImmune Biotech Company, which began its primate challenge in early June. This vaccine will be a viral vector type vaccine.
  • C- A vaccine to be produced by Osve Companies in collaboration with Paya Gene Cell and Kian Gene Azma. This vaccine, made from killed virus, is in the final stages of primate challenge testing and in the process of drug file review at the Food and Drug Organization for entering the clinical trial phase.

Source: Radio Farda