Brazil Advances Fully National COVID-19 Vaccine SpiN-TEC Toward Final Trials with Strong Scientific Backing
Brazil advances its fully national COVID-19 vaccine SpiN-TEC into final clinical trials, aiming for national production and public availability by 2027, underscoring scientific sovereignty.
- • SpiN-TEC vaccine is fully developed and produced in Brazil, advancing to final clinical trials.
- • The project received R$ 140 million funding from MCTI through RedeVírus.
- • Minister Luciana Santos emphasized the vaccine as a symbol against scientific denialism and a mark of Brazilian intelligence.
- • After Anvisa approval, SpiN-TEC will be incorporated into SUS and produced nationally for public use.
Key details
Brazil has published its first scientific article on SpiN-TEC, a fully national COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Vaccine Technology Center at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The vaccine has been confirmed safe and is poised to enter its final phase of clinical trials, with public availability anticipated by early 2027. This progress is supported by R$ 140 million in funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) through RedeVírus, which covered all stages from preclinical trials through clinical phases 1, 2, and 3.
MCTI Minister Luciana Santos highlighted the vaccine's significance as a symbol of Brazilian scientific intelligence and a strong rebuttal against scientific denialism, especially amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. She expressed optimism about Anvisa's forthcoming approval and noted ongoing government initiatives to advance new health technologies targeting endemic diseases like malaria and Chagas.
Unlike previous vaccines such as CoronaVac and AstraZeneca that depended on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients and international technology transfers, SpiN-TEC is 100% produced in Brazil without reliance on imported components. This milestone underscores Brazil's stride toward technological self-sufficiency, addressing the nation's $20 billion health technology import deficit. Upon regulatory approval, production technology will be transferred to a national company for large-scale manufacturing, and the vaccine will be incorporated into the Unified Health System (SUS) for widespread public access.
This development marks a significant step forward for Brazil’s health sovereignty and scientific autonomy, reflecting the country's capacity to produce homegrown solutions to public health crises.