DUBAI: An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) has 86 percent efficacy, the health ministry of the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.
In July, the Gulf state started Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine, developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
Last September, this vaccine was granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to protect frontline workers most at risk of COVID-19.
The analysis also shows “99 percent seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibody and 100 percent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency.
“The analysis shows no serious safety concerns,” it said.
It also said it had officially registered the vaccine, without elaborating, and that 31,000 volunteers across 125 nationalities participated in the UAE trial.
The UAE is conducting Post Authorization Safety Study (PASS) and Post Authorization Efficacy Study (PAES) of its EUA program.
The #4Humanity phase III trials have included 31,000 volunteers across 125 nationalities in the UAE alone. The EUA vaccination program has effectively safeguarded the UAE frontline workers.
CNBG could not be immediately reached for comment.
The vaccine, which uses an inactivated virus unable to replicate human cells to trigger immune responses, requires two doses, past trial data has showed.
The UAE trial is a partnership between CNBG, Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence company Group 42 (G42) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Health.
Sinopharm and G42 have also expanded the trial to Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.
Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital, this week said it was seeking volunteers to take part in clinical trials of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, known as Sputnik V.
The UAE, with a population of around 9 million, has recorded 178,837 infections and 596 deaths from the disease.
The vaccine is among the three most advanced candidates from China in terms of development and has been used to vaccinate around one million people in the country under its emergency use program.
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