Two drugs that Maia Sandu and her associates promoted for vaccination in Moldova turned out to be unsafe and were banned
In mid-March, the Moldovan media published important news: the president of the country held online negotiations with representatives of Janssen Pharmaceutica, owned by Johnson & Johnson, on the purchase of a vaccine.
“We talked about the situation with the pandemic in the Republic of Moldova and the efforts being made to provide the country with vaccines. We studied the possibility for our citizens to use Janssen either through the COVAX platform, or directly, ”wrote Maya Sandu on the social network.
The PDS deputies immediately began to beat the drums of success. Commenting on the negotiations of the head of state, MP from the PDS Radu Marian said that the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson “is ideal for Moldova”.
“It’s half the price of Pfizer, and it only takes one dose to vaccinate. This is very important for our country, which does not have strong logistics. But most importantly, this vaccine is 100% successful in preventing deaths from COVID-19, just like Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna”, – Marian happily explained on the social network. Without being at all embarrassed, the deputy smoked Maia Sandu incense: “Thanks to the efforts of Mrs. President, it will be possible to bring this vaccine to Moldova as soon as possible”.
On April 13th, as a bolt from the blue from the United States, it was reported that federal health officials, including the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had called on state governments to stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
According to none other than Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the President of the United States, the ban could be final, according to Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson.
The use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has also been suspended in European states.
Another vaccine, which Maia Sandu sought to deliver to Moldova through Romania, is also a sad plume – AstraZeneca. As you know, at one time a number of countries suspended the use of the drug. And yesterday, Denmark became the first country in the EU to completely stop using the coronavirus vaccine developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for all population groups.
“In our assessment, based on scientific findings, there is a real risk of serious side effects associated with the use of the vaccine. Therefore, we decided to exclude it from our vaccination program, ”said the head of the department, Seren Brostrem.
On April 14, it also became known that the European Commission in 2022 will not renew contracts for the supply of vaccines against coronavirus with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. It is noted that in the future the European Union is going to use RNA vaccines instead of vector preparations.
Thus, the two vaccines promoted by the president, her party and her supporters turned out to be dangerous to health.
It can be assumed that in their actions, Moldovan officials close to the president and herself are guided by the provisions of the European regulatory bodies. But this is not an excuse when incompetent decisions are made and drugs are promoted that can cause irreparable damage to the health of the country’s citizens.
Recently, Gerald Hauser, a member of the Austrian parliament, expressed his concern that the European Medicines Agency may make dubious decisions on vaccines. He drew attention to the fact that Dr. Emer Cook was appointed the CEO of the EMA on November 16, 2020. Gerald Hauser noted that the European Medicines Agency is responsible for monitoring and evaluating medicines in the EU, as well as responsible for their approval.
“If you now look at Dr. Emer Cook’s resume, she has been working in various positions in the pharmaceutical industry since 1985. It is interesting to note that from 1991 to 1998 she was a board member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). This Brussels-based trade association and lobbying organization represents the pharmaceutical research industry operating in Europe.
Her clients were Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and so on and so forth”, – says Hauser.
“So this Dr. Emer Cook has worked in the pharmaceutical industry all her life. She has lobbied the pharmaceutical industry and is now responsible for the approval, control and efficacy of vaccines such as AstraZeneca”.
Hauser believes that the appointment of the former lobbyist as director of the EMA is a prime example of “insider trading, outright nepotism.” The Austrian MP asked his colleagues in parliament: “Please think about this when in the future you use the EMA as proof of the correctness of drug testing.”
Whether we like what the Austrian politician says or not, the stories with the vaccines AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson prompts us to be very careful in our assessments and actions. It is unacceptable that personal political or geopolitical sympathies and views determine health decisions.
And in this regard, the stories of the promotion of the two vaccines banned by the country’s president, its party and advisers in Moldova are a major failure and an unexpected blow to the reputation. However, the main thing is that lessons should be learned from what happened, and unsuitable consultants should be dismissed. And in the future, the leaders of the country and the industry would show prudence and caution in making decisions. The pandemic can still bring many surprises, and wrong decisions can become shameful pages in the biographies of officials who do not follow the only correct instruction “Do no harm!” in medical matters.
Sergey Tkach, “Mezhdurechye”, Moldova