Turkey says China’s Sinovac COVID vaccine is 91.25% effective in late studies

ANKARA (Reuters) – A COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech is 91.25% effective, according to interim data from a late-stage study in Turkey, a potentially much better result than reported from a separate trial of the vaccine in Brazil.

Researchers in Brazil, which is also conducting a final phase III trial of the vaccine, said on Wednesday that the injection was more than 50% effective but omitted full results at the company’s request, raising questions about transparency.

Turkish researchers said Thursday that no major side effects were seen during their study, except that one person had an allergic reaction. Common side effects caused by the vaccine included fever, mild pain, and mild fatigue, they said.

The Turkish trials began on Sept. 14 and involved more than 7,000 volunteers, the researchers said, adding that the results announced Thursday were based on data from 1,322 people.

Sinovac is the first Chinese vaccine manufacturer to release details of late-stage clinical trials, following positive results from competing products developed by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca last month.

The Turkish researchers, speaking with Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, said 26 of 29 people infected during the trial were given placebos, adding that the process would continue until 40 people became infected.

“We are now confident that the vaccine is effective and safe (to use) for Turkish people,” said Koca, adding that Ankara would use the data to approve the vaccine.

He also said that researchers initially planned to disclose the results after 40 people were infected, but the findings showed that the volunteers had minimal adverse effects after the injection and therefore it was considered safe.

“Despite being risky, we saw a very light picture where the PCR (COVID test) of three people was positive, with no fever or breathing problems … We can easily say that despite it being risky, those three people were very lights went through it, ”he said.

SHIPMENTS ARRIVE MONDAY

Turkey had agreed to purchase 50 million doses of Sinovac’s shot and be delivered on December 11, but the shipment was delayed.

Koca said three million doses would arrive Monday, adding that Turkey would vaccinate about nine million people in the first group, starting with health workers.

Sinovac has also entered into supply agreements for its vaccine, called CoronaVac, with countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, Chile and Singapore, and is negotiating with the Philippines and Malaysia.

CoronaVac was given to tens of thousands of people as part of an emergency program launched by China in July, targeting specific groups at high risk of infection.

CoronaVac is based on traditional vaccine technology that uses inactivated coronavirus that cannot replicate in human cells to elicit an immune response.

Vaccines developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna use a new technology called synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) to activate the immune system against the virus and require much colder storage.

Pfizer’s treatment is the first fully tested COVID-19 injection to be administered, and implementation is already underway in Great Britain and the United States.

Koca said Turkey would sign a deal with Pfizer / BioNTech for 4.5 million doses of their vaccine, due for delivery by the end of March, with an option to purchase an additional 30 million doses later.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, the death toll in Turkey from the coronavirus rose by 254 on Thursday to 19,115, while the total number of COVID-19 infections rose by 18,102.