The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday it approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech for inclusion on the emergency use list, the second injection produced in China to gain its endorsement.
The WHO vaccine expert committee recommended the vaccine, which requires two doses at two to four week intervals for people 18 years of age and older. There was no suggested age limit as the data suggested it is likely to have a protective effect in older people.
The WHO emergency list is a signal to national regulators about the safety and efficacy of a product.
It will also allow the vaccine to be included in the global COVAX program, which seeks to provide doses primarily to poor countries and is currently facing significant supply problems due to the suspension of vaccine exports from India.
It is the second Chinese vaccine approved by the WHO, and from now on it can also be used for the international Covax device for the distribution of anticovid vaccines, especially in disadvantaged countries.
“The world desperately needs numerous COVID-19 vaccines to address the huge inequalities around the globe,” said Mariangela Simao, WHO Deputy Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products.
On May 7, the WHO approved the Sinopharm vaccine, made in Beijing.
A third Chinese vaccine, produced by CanSino Biologics, has submitted clinical trial data, but no WHO review has yet been scheduled.
The efficacy of Sinovac in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases is 51%, but it is 100% effective in preventing severe cases and hospitalizations in the populations studied, according to the WHO. Its efficacy in people over 60 years of age has not been studied.
This serum, of the inactivated vaccine type, “is easy to store, which makes it easy to manage and is especially adapted to countries with few resources,” the UN agency stressed.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts had previously said in a review paper that the vaccine’s efficacy in phase III clinical trials in various countries ranged from 51% to 84%.
China has exported millions of doses of the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines to many countries, especially in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
The Sinovac vaccine is already being used in 22 countries and territories, according to data collected by AFP.
In addition to China, it is being administered in Tunisia, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey, among other countries.
This procedure helps those countries that do not have the means to determine for themselves the efficacy and safety of a drug, to gain more rapid access to drugs.
The Covax system was launched by WHO with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in impoverished countries.
With information from AFP and Reuters
