SUKL Denounces Political and Emotional Pressure from Matovic

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - The Slovak Institute for Medicine Supervision (SUKL) condemns the emotional and political pressure exerted against it, its head Zuzana Batova and her family by Finance Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO), TASR learnt from the state regulatory authority's spokesperson Magdalena Jurkemikova on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Matovic held a late-evening press conference at which he lambasted the SUKL, Slovak scientists, diplomats, journalists and President Zuzana Caputova over Russia's Sputnik V vaccine case. The SUKL underlined that it can't revise its expert opinion on the vaccine based on public polls, pressure from the Finance Minister or threats against it voiced by a certain stratum of society. "The statements by the Finance Minister cast aspersions over our work as a regulatory authority in the supervision of medicines, cast doubt over our impartiality and instigate attacks against SUKL representatives from a certain stratum of society. We reject any notion of the SUKL's stance being guided by political motives," said the spokesperson. She added that the Finance Minister's press conference was a media lynching directed against the head of the SUKL as well as the institute itself. Jurkemikova accentuated that the evaluation report on Sputnik V was drafted by the SUKL based on data provided by the Russian manufacturer and it is the manufacturer's duty to prove the quality, safety and efficiency of the vaccine, as well as that it has the same content used in different countries and studies. The SUKL is not aware of any missteps on its part in the registration process, although untrue statements have been repeatedly spouted by Matovic. "As for the laboratory analysis, we reiterate that OMCL laboratories are testing vaccines registered in the EU and Sputnik V doesn't belong in that category," the spokesperson added. mf/mcs