WHO validates China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use
GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) validated on Friday the BBIBP-CorV Covid-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm for emergency use, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This afternoon, WHO gave emergency use listing to Sinopharm Beijing’s Covid19 vaccine, making it the sixth vaccine to receive WHO validation for safety, efficacy and quality,” said WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing.
“This expands the list of vaccines that Covax can buy, and gives countries confidence to expedite their own regulatory approval, and to import and administer a vaccine,” he said.
In an official press release, WHO assistant-director-general for Access to Health Products Dr Mariangela Simao said that the addition of the Sinopharm vaccine has “the potential to rapidly accelerate Covid-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk.”
The vaccine produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Biotec Group, is an inactivated vaccine with easy storage requirements, which makes it highly suitable for lowresource settings.
It is also the first vaccine that will carry a vaccine vial monitor, a small sticker on the vaccine vials that change colour if the vaccine is exposed to heat, letting health workers know whether the vaccine can be safely used.
According to WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE), the Sinopharm vaccine is recommended for use in adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of three to four weeks. — Bernama