BEIJING: Chinese vaccine producer Sinopharm announced an inactivated vaccine developed by its subsidiary China National Biotech Group (CNBG) has an efficacy rate of more than 79 percent, and confirmed they have officially filed for market approval with Chinese regulators.
CNBG is the first Chinese producer to release interim results of Phase III clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, which will boost the international community as well as Chinese people’s confidence in China’s COVID-19 vaccines, experts said.
Beijing Biological Products Institute under CNBG announced on its website on Wednesday that interim results of Phase III clinical trials on an inactivated vaccine it developed show the vaccine can trigger high-titer coronavirus antibodies after two injections.
The vaccine shows a 79.34 percent efficacy and 99.52 percent antibody positive conversion rate, reaching the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese authorities, according to the institute.
Chinese National Medical Products Administration rules that a vaccine must show at least 50 percent efficacy to get market approval.
The vaccine also showed good safety after vaccination, its producers noted.
The institute said it has officially filed for market approval with Chinese vaccine regulators. Usually the efficacy rate of an inactivated vaccine is between 70-80 percent. An efficacy rate of 79.34 percent is fairly good, experts told the Global Times on Wednesday.
China is experienced in developing and producing inactivated vaccines. While the country has launched various methods to develop COVID-19 vaccines, inactivated vaccines are a safe option that would most likely succeed, Tao Lina, a vaccine expert in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Tao noted that Chinese vaccines would embrace a large market as inactivated vaccines are easier to transport and the country has multiple products using different methods under development.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
