this May be was discovered the substance at the base of the allergic reactions that some people have developed after the administration of a vaccine against the Covid of Pfizer. It would be the compound of “polyethylene glycol”, also known as PEG.

Compound common in cosmetics

although health authorities are still investigating, as is doing the same pharmaceutical company, we know that the PEG may be associated, in a rare way, to allergic reactions, as confirmed by Peter Marks, director of the Center for assessment and research on the biological products of the Food and Drug Administration Usa (FDA). Those allergic reactions might be a bit more common of the rare, that there are normally. The compound is found in shampoo, toothpaste and countless other products. Some people may be more susceptible because they have high levels of antibodies against the PEG. In both vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern, the PEG is part of the envelope of fat that surrounds the messenger RNA, the main ingredient of the vaccine. Once the mRNA enters into the cells, teach them to create a protein that looks a lot like the spike protein located on the surface of the coronavirus. This induces a specific immune response that strengthens the defenses of the body when it is exposed to the real virus. The housing grease containing PEG helps to ensure that the mRNA through the cell membrane. The PEG has never been used before in an approved vaccine, but it is found in many medicines. The studies of the next few weeks will be made on people who have high levels of antibodies anti-PEG, or have experienced serious allergic responses to drugs or vaccines previously.

cases of allergic reaction

anaphylactic reactions can occur with any vaccine, but they are usually extremely rare – approximately 1 per 1 million doses. To the 19th of December, however, the United States had seen 6 cases of anaphylaxis between 272.001 people who have received the vaccine, and the United Kingdom has registered 2. In Phase 3 studies that led to the approval of the vaccines were excluded people with a history of allergies to components of vaccines, a subgroup of subjects who then may have been under-represented. An increasing number of biopharmaceuticals includes the PEG. According to a study of the 2016 conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 72% of people have at least some antibodies against the PEG , presumably due to exposure to cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. About 7% have a level that can be high enough to predispose them to anaphylactic reactions.

recommendations

Still, however, there are no certainties but only assumptions: some scientists have noted that the amount of PEG in the vaccines mRNA is lower than that contained in most medicines. In the meantime, we are studying alternatives to the PEG, but the vaccination campaign will not stop, because the benefits outweigh the risks and all the people affected by allergic reaction you are shooting. The guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Usa recommend not to administer vaccines Pfizer or Modern to anyone who has a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine. There is no reason why the people who have a history of allergic reactions mild or serious, food, pets, oral medications or environmental allergens, however, should not receive the vaccine, says the CDC. And the people who may be at high risk for an anaphylactic reaction should remain in the vaccination site for 30 minutes after the injection (and not only for the 15 “canons”).