WHO Endorses China's Covid-19 Vaccine Sinopharm--4th Update
May 07 2021 - 3:09PM
Dow Jones News
By Chao Deng and Drew Hinshaw
The World Health Organization on Friday gave its first
endorsement for a Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine, clearing a shot
from the state-owned firm Sinopharm for global use.
The decision, announced by the international health body after
weeks of deliberation, is expected to help alleviate a severe
shortage of doses in the developing world, as vaccine exports from
Covid-struck India grind to a halt. It will also boost Beijing's
bid to play a leading role in the fight against the pandemic,
officials and analysts said.
But the doses won't immediately arrive in the developing world,
both because China is facing its own constraints at home, and
because Sinopharm currently has no deal in place to supply the
WHO's main effort to distribute doses to lower-income
countries.
The U.N. agency recommended the vaccine be used immediately, as
part of an "emergency use listing," saying its deployment would
help ease acute global shortages. While a handful of wealthy
nations have been able to curb the pandemic through mass
vaccination campaigns, the world's poorest nations have been
flagging behind, struggling to vaccinate more than a tiny
percentage of their populations.
"The world needs as many safe and effective vaccines as
possible," said Thomas Bollyky, director of global health at the
Council on Foreign Relations. "This is good for the world," he said
of WHO's decision.
The authorization came with caveats, as the WHO said there was
too little data to show whether the vaccine was effective in people
over 60.
Still, the WHO panel that reviews vaccines -- its Strategic
Advisory Group of Experts -- concluded that preliminary data
suggested elderly test subjects likely did acquire some protection
against the disease. The panel found no reason to believe that the
shot wouldn't be as safe in older age groups as it is in younger
demographics. In all adults, 18 and older, the vaccine was 79 %
effective in preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19.
"The addition of this vaccine has the potential to rapidly
accelerate Covid-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect
health workers and populations at risk," said Dr. Mariangela Simao,
WHO's assistant director general for access to health products.
The development comes as a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in
India, the world's largest vaccine maker, has upended global supply
of badly-needed shots. Export restrictions in India have left the
WHO's Covax program struggling to fulfill its ambition to vaccinate
about 20% of the developing world's population.
Like other Chinese vaccine makers, Sinopharm faces production
constraints. The firm previously said it would produce more than
one billion doses this year, but analysts expect a significant
portion to be allocated for domestic use. China wants to reach herd
immunity for its 1.4 billion people by the end of the year or
mid-2022 and is relying heavily upon vaccines by Sinopharm.
Sinopharm has also struck manufacturing deals to produce the
vaccine in other countries including in the United Arab Emirates,
although it is unclear when the new facilities will be able to
start delivering.
As for a potential deal with Covax, officials at the WHO's
vaccine distribution program are currently in talks with Sinopharm
to procure doses, a spokeswoman said.
Global health experts have criticized the Chinese government and
Chinese vaccine makers including Sinopharm for lack of transparency
about their clinical trials and efficacy data. Because China has
largely been able to get Covid-19 under control, Sinopharm had to
conduct trials abroad, in several different countries at once, a
process that WHO officials said was challenging, and left them
without sufficient data in older groups.
Sinopharm's vaccine appears to be substantially less effective
than the leading Western vaccines against Covid-19. The UAE, an
early adopter of the vaccine, has started administering a third
booster shot to some residents as doctors say the shot isn't
generating an adequate antibody response.
"The production challenges as well as the fact that the vaccine
may ultimately require three shots per person is going to limit how
transformative it is for the globe," said Mr. Bollyky.
For now, scientists argue the vaccine should be adopted. Global
Covid-19 case count is still climbing at a rate of hundreds of
thousands a day. Unlike shots from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc.,
the Sinopharm vaccine doesn't need to be kept at extremely cold
temperatures, and a small sticker on its vials changes color if the
vaccine has been exposed to excess heat.
The vaccine is the sixth vaccine against Covid-19 that WHO has
granted emergency use, joining candidates by AstraZeneca, Pfizer
and Johnson & Johnson. It is the only inactivated virus vaccine
to be authorized.
The WHO is currently reviewing another Chinese-made vaccine, by
Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech. Health experts expect a similar
ruling for it in the coming days.
Write to Chao Deng at Chao.Deng@wsj.com and Drew Hinshaw at
drew.hinshaw@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 07, 2021 14:54 ET (18:54 GMT)
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