Sinovac Vaccine 'more Than 50 Percent Effective'

Brazilian researchers said on Wednesday the Covid-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech is more than 50 percent effective based on preliminary data, but withheld full results of their late-stage trial again at Sinovac's request.

The Sinovac jab is one of three purchased by the Hong Kong government. It's ordered 7.5 million doses, with the first expected to arrive in January.

Brazil is the first country to complete a late-stage trial of the vaccine, called CoronaVac, but a release of the results, first set for early December, has now been delayed three times.

Officials from Sao Paulo state government's Butantan Institute said Sinovac, which has been racing to catch up with Western drugmakers, asked them to delay releasing precise efficacy data for the vaccine for up to 15 days while the company consolidates data from global trials.

Sinovac would be the second Chinese vaccine maker to produce results from late-stage clinical trials, after the United Arab Emirates said this month that a vaccine from a Beijing-based unit of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) had 86 percent efficacy.

Rival products developed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna have generated positive results, revealing details in November.

Pfizer's treatment is the first fully-tested Covid-19 shot to be administered, with rollout already underway in Britain and the United States.

China has been giving experimental coronavirus vaccines, including the shot developed by Sinovac, to high-risk groups in the country since July under an emergency use program.

Sinovac has secured supply deals for its vaccine with several countries including Indonesia, Turkey, BrazilChile and Singapore, and is holding talks with the Philippines and Malaysia for a potential sale. (Reuters)

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