 Sinopharm's
COVID-19 vaccine remained active against S.Africa variant, effect
reduced - lab study
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[February 03, 2021]
BEIJING (Reuters) - Two COVID-19 vaccines
from Chinese companies including Sinopharm triggered immunity against a
highly transmissible coronavirus variant first found in South Africa,
but their effect appeared weaker, a small-sample lab study released on
Tuesday showed.
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 Variants
of the virus have stirred concern that they might weaken effects of
vaccines and treatments developed prior to their emergence.
Twelve serum samples each taken from recipients of two vaccines
developed by a subsidiary of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm)
and a unit of Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products retained
neutralising activity against the South African variant, their
researchers said in a paper.
The paper was written by researchers from Sinopharm-affiliated
Beijing Institute of Biological Products, the Institute of
Microbiology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is co-developing
a candidate with Zhifei unit, and two other Chinese agencies.
However, the samples' activity against the variant was weaker than
against the original virus and another variant currently spreading
globally, according to the paper published on website BioRxiv ahead
its peer-review. https://bit.ly/3rfr2UZ
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The activity reduction "should be taken into account for its impact
for the clinical efficacy of these vaccines," they said.
The Sinopharm vaccine is approved in China for general public use
and is also used in several other countries including the United
Arab Emirates. The Zhifei shot is in late-stage clinical trials in
China and overseas.
Preliminary clinical trial data on vaccines from Novavax Inc and
Johnson & Johnson also showed they were significantly less effective
at preventing COVID-19 in trial participants in South Africa, where
the potent new variant is widespread.
(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Miyoung Kim &
Simon Cameron-Moore)
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