WHO has approved the emergency use of …

World Health Organization (WHO) today approved the emergency approval for Sinopharm’s coronavirus vaccine, What became the sixth to receive this validation, after Moderna, Pfizer / BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and the two AstraZeneca vaccines. On Monday, the Chinese laboratory confirmed that the drug was 65.45% effective with a single dose in people under the age of 60 to prevent serious illness. Argentina is in talks to produce it in the country.

The WHO expert committee recommended the vaccine, the first Chinese injectable to receive international organization approval and which is already being administered in Argentina, for over 18.

The drug is “safe and effective”, said the highest authority of the health entity, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and clarified that, for this reason, the agency included it on its emergency list.

This procedure helps countries that do not have sufficient means to determine for themselves the efficacy and safety of a drug. In addition, it makes it possible to include vaccination in the global distribution system of Covax, created by the WHO with two semi-private international alliances, to ensure that it reaches all countries in the world.

“The addition of this vaccine has the potential to rapidly accelerate access to the Covid-19 vaccine for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk. We urge the manufacturer to participate in Covax and contribute to the goal of more equitable vaccine distribution. “said WHO Deputy Director-General for Access to Health Products, Mariângela Simão.

In the case of Sinopharm, the assessment by the United Nations health entity included inspections at the production plant. It is an inactivated vaccine and whose “easy requirements” for storage make it “very suitable” for low-resource settings, the WHO said.

Too This is the first vaccine to wear a vaccine vial monitor, a small sticker on the jars that changes color when exposed to heat, telling healthcare workers if it is safe to use.

The vaccine’s efficacy against symptomatic and hospitalized illnesses was estimated to be 79% with both doses, for all age groups.

“There is no theoretical reason to believe that the vaccine has a different safety profile in older and younger populations. Therefore, we recommend that countries using the vaccine in older groups monitor its safety. and its effectiveness. So that the recommendation is more solid, “said the organization.

Discussions to standardize a second Chinese vaccine, Sinovac, are underway. Another Sinopharm vaccine, manufactured in this case in the city of Wuhan, is also being considered for approval by the United Nations health agency.