A Chinese pharmaceutical company said Wednesday that late-stage drug trials show that one of its coronavirus vaccines is effective, with positive results that could pave the way for a global rollout of millions of Chinese vaccine doses in the coming months.
The state-controlled company, called Synopharm, said the vaccine, made by the hands of its Beijing Institute of Biological Biological Products, has proven to have a 79 percent effectiveness rate in three of the candidate’s intermediate phases. Sinofarm said it has applied to Chinese regulators for the vaccine to be widely used.
A complete breakdown of the results was not immediately available. If confirmed, the results will strengthen claims that Chinese officials have made the country’s vaccine safe and effective in recent days. According to Chinese vaccine experts, authorities have already moved ahead with plans to vaccinate millions of people in China by mid-February, while hundreds of millions more are expected to travel for the lunar New Year holiday.
China’s drive to develop the homeland vaccine speaks to the country’s technological and diplomatic ambitions. If the Chinese vaccine sticks to global testing, they will support the country’s claim to be a peer and competitor to the United States and other developed countries in biomedical sciences.
The results of the Synopharm vaccine show that it is less effective than others recognized in other countries. Nevertheless, the results are better than the 50 percent threshold that makes a vaccine effective in the eyes of a medical establishment.
The other two coronavirus vaccines, developed by Moderna and Pfizer-Bioentech, have already shown an efficacy rate of about 95 percent. The Pfizer-Bioentech vaccine is authorized in more than 40 countries. The modern vaccine has been given in the United States, while other countries are evaluating its trial results. Russia has announced that its Sputnik V vaccine has an effectiveness rate of 91 percent and has launched a mass vaccination campaign.
Beijing has taken a strong stance on its vaccine promise to strengthen ties with developing countries, which is considered important for China’s interests. Officials have promised to give the Chinese vaccine as a “global public interest”, especially when the campaign is surrounded in its backyard, the United States could face it.
The political stakes in the race for the vaccine are particularly high for the ruling Communist Party of China, whose dictatorial regime was first introduced in Wuhan late last year to play with the virus-reducing information and the virus. A successful vaccine, if made available to the world quickly, could help improve the image of the party globally and its leader Xi Jinping.
