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China was at the forefront in the global race to develop coronavirus vaccines with the most candidates in the final stage of trials earlier in the year and its first approval of a home injection for the general public came on Thursday, but without detailed efficacy data.
Below is what we know about China’s vaccine development, efficacy data, and approval schedule.
What are the most advanced?
Five vaccines from Sinovac Biotech, China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), CanSinoBIO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are in advanced stage clinical trials. None of them have published detailed efficacy data.
Authorities approved a vaccine developed by Sinopharm’s Beijing subsidiary on Thursday, a day after the developer said interim analysis of its phase 3 trial showed an efficacy of 79.34%, without providing details.
The efficacy reading is lower than the 86% rate for the same vaccine announced by the United Arab Emirates on December 9, according to preliminary data.
A Sinopharm executive said Thursday that detailed data would be released later without giving a specific timeline.
The Sinovac candidate has also shown mixed efficacy readings. Data from a late-stage trial of their CoronaVac injection in Turkey showed a 91.25% success rate, while researchers in Brazil said its efficacy was between 50% and 90%.
Brazil expects to release CoronaVac efficacy data before January 7 after three delays.
CanSinoBIO plans to send the results of its vaccine clinical trials to Mexican authorities next week, a senior Mexican health official said.
How many people have been vaccinated?
While China has been slower than several other countries in approving COVID-19 vaccines, it has been vaccinating its citizens for months with three different injections that undergo advanced-stage trials.
China launched an emergency use program in July targeting essential workers and other people at high risk of infection and has administered more than 4.5 million doses of both Sinopharm and Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccines.
It has been ramping up the program for the past month in anticipation of increased transmission risks during the winter.
The South China Morning Post reported that China would vaccinate up to 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February.
China also approved a CanSinoBIO vaccine for military use and the vaccine had been administered to about 40,000 to 50,000 people, a CanSinoBIO executive said on Nov. 28.
What technology is used?
The Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are based on traditional technology that uses inactivated or killed viruses, which cannot replicate in human cells, to trigger an immune response.
The overall rate of adverse reactions from those COVID-19 injections is similar to that of other inactivated vaccines, and the rate of occurrence of relatively serious adverse effects such as allergy is about two in a million, the official said Thursday. of the National Health Administration, Zeng Yixin. .
Who buys vaccines from China?
The United Arab Emirates became the first country to release a Chinese vaccine to the public this month.
Pakistan announced on Thursday a 1.2 million dose purchase agreement with Sinopharm.
Sinovac’s CoronaVac injection has been contracted by Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Chile and Singapore. The company is also in supply negotiations with Malaysia and the Philippines.
CanSinoBIO has a supply agreement with Mexico.
President Xi Jinping has vowed to make China’s vaccines a global public good.
– Reporting by Miyoung Kim and Roxanne Liu Edited by Robert Birsel
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