Brazil is one of the world’s leading testing grounds for COVID-19 vaccines.
Sinovac has been testing CoronaVac in phase III trials in Brazil since July, and is also participating in similar late-stage trials in Indonesia and Turkey.
“Sao Paulo will be one of the first places in the world to vaccinate the public,” Sao Paulo Governor Jaoa Doria said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that his government had already obtained 6 million doses of CoronaVac for its potential distribution. Brazil has registered almost 5 million cases of coronavirus, the third highest number in the world behind India and the United States. Sao Paulo is the most affected region in Brazil, registering more than 1 million of those cases, more than double the total. from any other Brazilian state
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On Friday, Doria asked Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa to register the Sinovac candidate for potential use, an important step in the country’s vaccine approval process. Anvisa subsequently confirmed that it received data related to the Sinovac candidate. Brazil’s Instituto Butantan, a research center that runs the Sinovac tests, said in a statement that the approval of CoronaVac in Brazil will require the candidate’s Phase III test results. Sinovac’s director for Latin America, Xing Han, said Brazil’s phase III trials should be completed in early December, putting the possible distribution of CoronaVac in Sao Paulo on one of the fastest time frames for a COVID vaccine. -19.
Chinese state-run vaccine maker Sinopharm said in August that its vaccine could be ready in China in December, but Sinovac’s possible December distribution in Brazil puts it ahead of some of its other global competitors.
Stephane Bancel, chief executive of US vaccine maker Moderna, said last week that Moderna aims to receive approval and distribute its vaccine in spring 2021. The London Times reported last week that the effort by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford could be ready for distribution by the start of 2021 in the UK
The leader in the race, at least by projected timelines, is Pfizer. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in September that Pfizer’s vaccine, which is being produced in partnership with BioNtech of Germany and Fosun Pharmaceuticals of China, could be ready for limited distribution starting next month.
Unlike its foreign counterparts, Sinovac also distributes its vaccine on a limited basis in China.
Sinovac is one of three Chinese vaccine manufacturers involved in China’s controversial emergency use program and says it has awarded tens of thousands of doses to the Beijing government for distribution to city employees.
Meanwhile, Sinovac has increased CoronaVac production to serve foreign markets.
In September, Sinovac CEO Yin Weidong said that due to China’s relative success in containing COVID-19, his company hopes to sell CoronaVac primarily to other countries. (To be clear, the low number of coronavirus cases in China does not eliminate the need for a vaccine.)
