COVID-19 and vaccines: Excipient theory

Polysorbates, polyethylene glycols and octylphenols are synthetic polyethers used as excipients in various biological drugs such as influenza and anti-COVID vaccines, and share epitopes with mannose polysaccharides present in glycoproteins on the outer surface of coronaviruses, which implies the risk of interfering with the immune system mannose receptors, and cause adverse reactions through three pathways:

• Excipient only: Cross reaction by activation of the complement by the excipient itself, observed with the first inoculations.
• Excipient + anti-PEG antibody: Type III hypersensitivity reaction, mediated by immune complexes, observed in subsequent inoculations.
• Excipient + anti-PEG antibody + coronavirus: Immunological interference after a viral infection, with a “Trojan horse” effect, postulated for severe COVID.