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China’s Sinopharm, Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines assessed by WHO for emergency use
- WHO reviews two Chinese vaccines for ‘emergency use listing’ status, which could expedite their approval by countries’ regulators
- It has received trial data from the companies and a decision could be made by March at the earliest
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Coronavirus vaccines developed by Chinese firms Sinovac and Sinopharm are being reviewed for emergency use by the World Health Organization, potentially opening the door to their increased international acceptance.
The UN agency is also in contact with another Chinese vaccine developer, CanSino, whose jab is undergoing phase 3 trials, it said.
The WHO’s advisory group makes recommendations about whether, how and for whom vaccines should be used. Its “emergency use listing” procedure allows unlicensed vaccines and treatments to be assessed to potentially expedite their approval by individual countries or jurisdictions in public health emergencies.
A decision on the Chinese vaccines was not expected until March at the earliest, the agency said.
“For Sinovac and Sinopharm, the [emergency use listing] process is proceeding,” Katherine O’Brien, director of the WHO’s immunisation and vaccines department, said in a video press conference on Tuesday. “They’ve submitted the package of data and that data is being reviewed.”
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