A coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech was 78% effective in a Brazilian final-stage trial with no serious cases of Covid-19, researchers said Thursday, despite a lack of details. caused more transparency, Reuters reports.
The results of the trial, closely monitored by developing countries that relied on the vaccine to initiate mass inoculations to help end a rapid pandemic, were below the preliminary results of Turkish researchers and had no detailed data on vaccines. American and European.
The director of the Brazilian biomedical center Butantan, Sinovac’s research and production partner, said detailed results were presented to health regulator Anvisa as part of an urgent use of the vaccine.
“One thing is a presentation at a press conference. It is another thing to obtain the data and analyze them, which is what Anvisa will do, ”said Cristina Bonorino, who is part of the scientific committee of the Immunological Society of Brazil. “If that’s what they say, it’s an excellent result,” he added.
Brazil and Indonesia, which have more cases of Covid-19 in Latin America and Southeast Asia, respectively, are preparing to launch the vaccine, called CoronaVac, this month. Turkey, Chile, Singapore, Ukraine and Thailand have also signed supply agreements with Sinovac.
Although the effectiveness of CoronaVac is less than the 95% success rate of Moderna Inc or Pfizer Inc vaccines with BioNTech SE partner, it is easier to transport and can be stored at normal refrigerator temperature.
The 78% efficacy rate is also well above the 50% to 60% benchmark set by global health authorities for vaccines in development at the beginning of the pandemic, given the urgent need.