With attempts to Sinovac Biotech Ltd. coronavirus vaccine in Brazil and Turkey suggests that the shot has a 90% protection rate on both sides, there is still no final assessment of how effective it is in protecting people against Covid-19.
Sinovac is finalizing the results of the phase III studies conducted in Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and Chile, according to a person familiar with the studies. These tests are relatively independent of each other and are performed according to different protocols, rather than subject to unified rules that usually govern such studies, said the person who asked not to be identified because the data are not public.
Researchers in Brazil earlier this week he was late in releasing complete information about the Sinovac vaccine, saying only that it was found to be more than 50% more effective. Sao Paulo Secretary of State for Health Jean Gorinchteyn offered more specific guidance on Thursday, saying the vaccine “did not reach 90%” effectiveness, which would make it less successful than those developed by Sao Paulo. Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc.
“We don’t know how much it was more than 50%, whether it was 60%, 70% or 80%, but it’s at levels that allow us to reduce the impact of the disease on our population,” Gorinchteyn said in an interview with CBN Radio from Brazil. “I knew the effectiveness would never reach 90%.”
Turkey’s trial
Adding to the confusion, Turkey said that a study of the Sinovac vaccine that took place in his country showed an estimated efficacy rate of 91.25%. However, this process is based on only 29 cases, which is considered insufficient to draw a definitive conclusion on the effectiveness of the shooting, according to the person familiar with the studies. The trial will continue to collect Covid-19 cases for a more complete reading, the person said.
A Sinovac spokesman declined to comment on questions about the vaccine’s effectiveness.
The delay in announcing the final results has created confusion about the effectiveness of Sinovac’s shooting. Chinese developers have been slow compared to their Western counterparts in publishing effectiveness data, risking an erosion of confidence in these candidates as the world focuses on laser which vaccines are most successful in fighting the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Pfizer and Moderna’s photos have been shown to reduce symptomatic cases by more than 90%.
China race for Covid-19 The vaccine raises safety questions
The reason Brazil has not yet disclosed full efficacy figures is that Sinovac and its partners are analyzing all Covid-19 cases found among participants, the person said. The trial in Brazil has more than 170 cases, but Sinovac needs to check to see if they all meet the criteria set by the Chinese drug regulator.
Regulators in China and Brazil, as well as Sinovac and its partners, are still in the process of analyzing data from the Brazilian process, according to the person. Finally, Sinovac hopes to see unified standards to ensure equal comparisons between different test sites, the person said. The protocol for the trial in Brazil says that Covid-19 cases are diagnosed according to guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration.
The late Sinovac vaccine trial in Brazil, which involved approx 13,000 participants suggested the shooting was “safe and effective,” authorities at the Butantan Institute and the state of Sao Paulo said earlier this week.
Saving lives
Sinovac is betting on a successful vaccine to inoculate more people around the world and save lives, especially in developing countries like Brazil, which will have limited access to Pfizer and Moderna photos. The Sinovac picture is potentially more suitable for developing countries, as it can be stored at normal temperatures in the refrigerator, while Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require freezing conditions for storage and transport.
The Sinovac vaccine has been at the center of a political dispute between Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria and President Jair Bolsonaro, who says a vaccine in China cannot be trusted. Bolsonaro once again questioned the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine in a Christmas Eve address posted on Facebook.
“I want to make it very clear that the label of this vaccine will be ‘we are not responsible for any side effects’.” The responsibility is yours, “he said.
– With the assistance of Andrew Rosati and Dong Lyu