A vial and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed China’s Sinopharm logo in this illustration. AFP

Gulf Today Report

The United Arab Emirates Health Ministry officially registered the coronavirus vaccine produced by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm on Wednesday, saying it was 86 per cent effective according to analysis of third-phase trials.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has announced the official registration of Beijing Institute of Biological Product’s inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in a major step towards combating the global pandemic.

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The registration of this vaccine is a decision in response to the application from Sinopharm CNBG. The announcement is a significant vote of confidence by the UAE’s health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine.

The #4Humanity phase III trials have included 31,000 volunteers across 125 nationalities in the UAE alone.

MOHAP in collaboration with Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) have reviewed Sinopharm CNBG’s interim analysis of the phase III trials, which shows Beijing Institute of Biological Product’s inactivated vaccine to have 86% efficacy against COVID-19 infection. The analysis also shows the vaccine to have 99% seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibody and 100% effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease. Furthermore, the analysis shows no serious safety concerns.

This vaccine was granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) since September by MOHAP to protect frontline workers most at risk of COVID-19. The UAE is conducting Post Authorisation Safety Study (PASS) and Post Authorisation Efficacy Study (PAES) of its EUA programme. These ongoing studies show similar safety and efficacy profiles as the interim analysis.