A coronavirus vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech in China was 78% effective in a Brazilian trial at an advanced stage, without serious cases of Covid-19, the researchers said on Thursday, although the lack of details of the data has prompted requests for more transparency, reports Reuters.
The test results, observed closely by developing countries that rely on the vaccine to begin mass inoculation to help end a violent pandemic, were below preliminary findings by Turkish researchers and lacked detailed data provided on American vaccines and European
The director of the Butantan Biomedical Center, Sinovac’s research and production partner, said the detailed results are being forwarded to the health regulatory agency Anvisa as part of an emergency use order for the vaccine.
“One thing is a presentation at a press conference. Another thing is to take the data and analyze it, which is what Anvisa will do ”, said Cristina Bonorino, who is part of the scientific committee of the Brazilian Society of Immunology. “If that’s what they say, it’s an excellent result,” he added.
Brazil and Indonesia, which have the largest number of Covid-19 cases 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 entered into supply agreements with Sinovac.
Although CoronaVac’s effectiveness falls short of the 95% success rate of vaccines from Moderna Inc or Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE, it is easier to transport and can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures.
The 78% effectiveness rate is also well above the 50% to 60% benchmark set by global health authorities for vaccines developing at the start of the pandemic, given the urgent need.