China approves two more Covid-19 vaccines for general use
- Convidecia, a single-shot product developed by CanSino Biologics, has been shown to prevent disease symptoms after infection, drugs regulator says
- National Medical Products Administration also gives green light to second vaccine developed by Sinopharm
The single-shot adenovirus-vectored vaccine, known as Convidecia, was developed by CanSino Biologics and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and has been shown to prevent symptomatic Covid-19 after coronavirus infection, according to the National Medical Products Administration.
The regulator also approved an inactivated vaccine produced by the Wuhan subsidiary of Sinopharm, adding to the one developed by the company’s Beijing unit.
All three products, plus a fourth made by Sinovac Biotech, which has already been given to tens of millions of people in China, were approved for emergency use in July.
CanSino said earlier this month that interim analysis of the data from its multi-country phase 3 trials showed a single shot of its product was more than 68 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic disease and 95 per cent effective at preventing severe disease 14 days after vaccination.
The efficacy rate fell slightly to about 65 per cent at preventing all symptomatic cases and 90 per cent at preventing severe disease 28 days after a single dose, it said.