|
 While the positive data comes soon after last month's upbeat results
from Western rivals, such as Pfizer Inc, Moderna, AstraZeneca Plc
and from Russia, neither the UAE nor Sinopharm have released
detailed data from the pivotal study.
In July, the Gulf Arab 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).
In September, it authorised emergency use of the vaccine for certain
groups, the first such international clearance for a vaccine
developed in China.
The analysis also shows "99% seroconversion rate of neutralizing
antibody and 100% 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.
It did not say what, if any, side effects it identified, how many
participants have become ill or how many volunteers were given the
vaccine or a placebo.
CNBG could not be immediately reached for comment.
[to top of second column] |
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 programme.
(Writing by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Sam Holmes and Lincoln Feast)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
