WHO approved emergency use of China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine

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 put her on its emergency list.

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Sinopharm vaccine could be produced in Argentina

This procedure helps countries that do not have sufficient means to determine for themselves the efficacy and safety of a drug.

In addition, allows the immunizer to be included in the Covax global delivery system, created by WHO with two semi-private international alliances, to ensure that they reach every country 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 the 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 is the first vaccine to be worn by a vaccine vial monitor, a small sticker on vials that changes color when exposed to heat, telling healthcare workers if it is safe to use.

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The vaccine’s efficacy for symptomatic and hospitalized illnesses has been estimated to be 79% 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.

The organization has already approved the drug from Moderna, Pfizer / BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and the two AstraZeneca vaccines, the one made in India (called Covishield, also used in Argentina) and the one developed in South Korea.