COVID skeptic, Brazilian government pinned hopes on Israeli drugs in development

A delegation led by Brazilian Chancellor Ernesto Araújo arrived in Jerusalem on Sunday to learn about a nasal spray being developed in Israel to treat COVID-19, as well as how the Israeli government and medical facilities are fighting the pandemic. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has become famous for his skepticism about the new coronavirus and the widely accepted responses to the pandemic, avoiding the masks and saying he will not receive the vaccine. More than 260,000 died of COVID-19 in Brazil, where the outbreak is one of the worst in the world and new highly contagious variants are rampant. However, in recent days, Bolsonaro has praised an Israeli “miracle product”, and “the real solution for the treatment of COVID. ”The treatment called EXO-CD24, developed by Dr. Nadir Arber at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, restricts the extreme immune system responses to COVID-19 that led to organ failure and death. It has been tested with an inhaler and is being developed as a nasal spray. Of the 35 patients on which EXO-CD24 was tested, 31 were able to leave the hospital after two to five days of treatment. trial, was only tested on 35 people, with no placebo group, nor research on it published in a peer-reviewed journal. In this sense, the Brasilia delegation plans to meet with Ichilov officials, as well as with the Weizmann Institute, Hadassah Hospital.

Bolsonaro’s son and president of the Brazilian Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations and Defense, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a member of the delegation to Israel, tweeted before his departure that they are on a “mission to bring phases two and three of clinical tests to Brazil. God bless us, ”he wrote, using an emoji of hands in prayer. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly publicly announced the drug since Arber announced his findings in early February, although Netanyahu has noted that it needs further development and testing. The delegation is expected to meet with him on Tuesday. The International Affairs advisor to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Filipe G. Martins, explained that the delegation was in Israel “with the objective of deepening our partnership in the area of ​​science, technology and innovation, including through cooperation in the development of medicines. and vaccines against COVID-19. “” Israeli excellence in several areas, including the development of technologies in the medical field is known worldwide and I am sure that this visit will yield partnerships that will make a difference in combating the health crisis and in the resumption of the Brazilian economy, “tweeted Martins. Araújo, on his third official visit to Israel, and Chancellor Gabi Ashkenazi met in Jerusalem on Sunday. Ashkenazi expressed his condolences to the Brazilian people and noted that Israel and Brazil are working to expand their partnerships to combat the pandemic. “We will help Brazil in every way we can and explore opportunities to further en research and development of drugs and additional solutions for the virus,” he said. Ashkenazi thanked Brazil for opposing the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged crimes of war committed by Israel. The ICC’s “outrageous” decision to open an investigation “distorts international law and undermines the ability to hold negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” said Ashkenazi. “I thank Brazil for its clear position that the court has no jurisdiction to discuss the matter.” Ashkenazi also emphasized the importance of a united front against the Iranian threat, which has repercussions beyond the Middle East. The Foreign Minister noted that the 29th anniversary of the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina is next week, carried out by Hezbollah under instructions from Iran. “We have seen in recent days an increase in Iran’s efforts to undermine regional stability. “, he said . “We can see Iran’s fingerprints clearly in recent attempts to reach Israeli targets around the world.” Araújo acknowledged the point, saying that “the Brazilian constitution has a repudiation of terrorism among its principles. We had only said that for a long time, but now we want to act against it and not pretend that it does not exist in our region. This is a priority for us, because Brazilians need security as much as Israelis [do]. ”The Brazilian chancellor said that a stronger connection with Israel is“ what the Brazilian people want and what Brazil needs ”, and that Israel is a“ key partner ”in important areas for Brazil, such as technology and agriculture. He emphasized Israel’s advances in green technologies. When it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, Araújo praised Israel as “an example, as in so many other areas. This incredible country of yours is leading the way in vaccinating and fighting the pandemic. “