Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy, says UAE

A coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) has 86 percent efficacy, the health ministry of the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.

In July, the Gulf Arab state started Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine, developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group.

In September, it authorized emergency use of the vaccine for certain groups, the first such international clearance for a vaccine developed in China.

The analysis also shows “99 percent seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibody and 100 percent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease,” the ministry said.

“The analysis shows no serious safety concerns,” it said.

It also said it had officially registered the vaccine, and that 31,000 volunteers across 125 nationalities participated in the UAE trial.

The vaccine, which uses an inactivated virus unable to replicate human cells to trigger immune responses, requires two doses, past trial data has showed.

Top officials in the UAE, including Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, have publicly received the shots as part of the vaccine testing.

The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. 

Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80 percent of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine.