This is less than Pfizer and Moderna: the Chinese laboratory Sinopharm announced on Wednesday an efficacy of 79% for one of its anti-Covid vaccines, which should be released in China and in developing countries.
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The Asian giant has been trying since early 2020 to be at the global forefront of vaccine development.
At the cost of huge financial means, it currently has five in its final phase of human trials - more than any other country.
The state juggernaut Sinopharm is the first Chinese laboratory to report figures on the effectiveness of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.
The group has a total of two in preparation.
"
The effectiveness
(of our vaccine)
is 79.34%,
" said in a statement the Institute of Biologics of Beijing, the subsidiary of the pharmaceutical group which is responsible for its design.
This figure is lower than those for vaccines from Pfizer / BioNTech (95%) and Moderna (94.1%).
The British Astrazeneca, associated with the University of Oxford, for its part claimed an effectiveness rate of 70%, but which could reach 100% with two doses.
The subsidiary of Sinopharm specified “
having sent an official marketing request
” to the Chinese administration in charge of drugs.
His vaccine is said to be "
inactivated
".
That is to say, it uses a very classic method using a "
killed
"
virus
to trigger an immune reaction in the subject.
No export planned to the West
China, where the coronavirus appeared at the end of 2019, has around fifteen vaccines that have started testing on humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
If none has yet received approval for marketing, the Chinese authorities have however given the green light this summer to the use of certain Chinese vaccines for needs deemed "
urgent
".
At least a million caregivers, employees performing a risky profession, or students and diplomats having to go abroad have thus been able to be injected with an experimental vaccine, according to the government.
Demand for a vaccine in China is so far not particularly strong compared to the rest of the world, the Asian country having largely contained the epidemic on its soil.
The last death from the Covid dates from mid-May.
No export of Chinese vaccines is currently expected to Western markets.
But China is committed to making vaccines developed by its laboratories “
global public goods
” that will be offered “
at a reasonable price
” or even “
offered
” to developing countries.
That of Sinopharm could thus be offered to nations in Asia, Africa or even South America.
"The question is not whether or not the fastest"
Chinese laboratories, for lack of Covid-19 patients in China, had to conduct their phase 3 clinical trials abroad, where the circulation of the virus remains intense.
Those for Sinopharm's two vaccines are thus taking place in around ten countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Peru, Egypt and Jordan.
China was still leading the global vaccine race a few months ago.
But it has been overtaken by several Western laboratories in recent weeks.
"
It is very time-consuming to carry out tests
(...)
abroad and to communicate with the countries in question,
" explained Zheng Zhongwei, the vaccine man of the Chinese Ministry of Health last week.
"
In addition, Chinese vaccine companies have certain problems, such as insufficient experience in conducting international phase 3 clinical trials
."
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Now left behind, China has however shown its willingness not to rush the marketing authorizations for Chinese vaccines.
"
We must follow a simple principle: respect scientific rules
" and "
ensure that the data meets the standards of the regulatory authorities
," Zheng Zhongwei said.
"
The question is not whether or not to be the fastest
."
