Chinese COVIDvaccine has proved effective, maker says

AChinese pharmaceutical company said on Wednesday that an early analysis of clinical trial results showed that one of its coronavirus vaccines was effective, an announcement that sent a positive signal for the global rollout of Chinese vaccines but lacked crucial details.

The company, a state-controlled firm called Sinopharm, said that a vaccine candidate made by its Beijing Institute of Biological Products arm had an efficacy rate of 79% based on an interim analysis of Phase 3 trials. Sinopharm said it had filed an application with Chinese regulators to allowthe vaccine to be used broadly.

If supported, the results will bolster claims that Chinese officials have made in recentdays that the country’s vaccines are safe. Even without the government’sofficial approval, authorities have already moved ahead with mass vaccinations, defying industry norms. They plan to vaccinate 50million people in China by mid-February.

But Sinopharm’s announcement provided no breakdown of results and left many questions unanswered, adding to a lack of clarity that has dogged China’s vaccine development.

“With each of these vaccines we’re dealing with bits and pieces of information, but the Chinese companies have provided even less information than the Russian companies have,” said Dr. Kim Mulholland, a pediatrician at theMurdoch Children’s Research Institute inMelbourne, Australia.

Details about the efficacy of another Chinese vaccine candidate, made by Sinovac have also been released in a piecemeal fashion.

Sinovac and Sinopharm useinactivatedcoronaviruses to make their vaccines — a tried-and-true method dating back over 130 years. The companies use chemicals to disable the virus’s genes so that it cannot replicate. Yet the inactivated coronavirus can still cause the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against it.