On Monday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) approved a Chinese candidate’s vaccine for emergency use, making China’s Sinpharma the first vaccine manufacturer to approve the deployment of a COVID-19 candidate in a foreign country. Of
The United Arab Emirates National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said “UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority,” the UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said Authorizes emergency use of COVID-19 vaccine for. “UAE tweeted a tweet on Monday.
Sinpharma is one of several vaccine manufacturers that have received similar emergency use approvals from Chinese government officials, where vaccine companies have injected hundreds of thousands of frontline healthcare workers and other select population groups. , Like members of the army, customs workers and T.K. office workers.
The UAE’s decision makes it the first foreign country to follow China’s lead in launching a vaccine before completing end-stage clinical trials, underscoring China’s growing influence in the global vaccine race. . .
Sinopharm’s candidate
Sinopharm, a shortened name for the state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group Corp., began its late-stage clinical trials in the United Arab Emirates on July 16 and has already tested the COVID-19 candidate vaccine on some 31,000 volunteers.
Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, head of the UAE National Clinical Committee for COVID-19, told an Abu Dhabi-based media outlet that while Sinopharm’s vaccine trials are ongoing in the country, initial results of the trials “showed that it is effective” and strong antibodies against the virus among volunteers.
Experts, however, have warned against implementing a vaccine before completing clinical trials and receiving official approval that it is safe and effective.
China’s international vaccine
Wu Guizhen, the chief biosafety expert at the China Centers for Disease Control, said on Monday that she expects Chinese citizens to have official access to the vaccine in November or December.
In a conversation with Fortune last week, Dr. Aimin Hui, vice president of Chinese vaccine manufacturer Fosun, presented a similar schedule for his company’s candidate vaccine, which is being developed in partnership with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the manufacturer. . . . German BioNTech vaccine.With one or more Chinese vaccines hitting the market in the next few months, a looming question is which countries will distribute a Chinese vaccine.
At the July hearing, Fauci said it was “unlikely” that the United States would turn to vaccines made in China or Russia if they beat US candidates in the market, given the countries’ questionable development processes and the advanced candidates themselves.
Including Sinopharm and Fosun, Chinese pharmaceutical companies are involved in five of the nine candidate vaccines that are currently in late-stage phase III trials. Candidates being developed by Chinese biotech company Cansino and private Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac are also in phase III trials.
The five companies are testing their candidates in numerous countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Brazil, Indonesia and Russia.
Beyond trials, foreign governments are also in talks with Chinese vaccine manufacturers for the supply of a possible vaccine after approval.
In late August, Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac reached an agreement with Indonesia to supply it with 40 million doses of its potential vaccine. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte also said this week that he would prioritize purchasing vaccines from China or Russia over potential candidates from the United States or Europe.
The United Arab Emirates may be the first country to approve a Chinese vaccine for home use, but as the global vaccine race heats up, it is unlikely to be the last.
