Tests show coronavirus vaccine by China’s Sinovac is safe, says Brazil’s Butantan Institute
- Company is first drug maker to disclose late stage trial results, putting China ahead in race to develop Covid-19 shot
- Preliminary results showed Coronavac was safe after two doses were applied to 9,000 volunteers in tests by top Brazilian biomedical research centre
An experimental vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech appeared to be safe in providing protection against the Covid-19 disease caused by the new coronavirus, preliminary results of a late stage clinical trial conducted in Brazil showed on Monday.
Sinovac is the first drug maker to disclose late stage trial results, putting China ahead in attempts to develop a coronavirus vaccine to fight against a pandemic that has killed over 1 million people globally.
Sao Paulo’s Butantan Institute, one of Brazil’s leading biomedical research centres that is carrying out the phase 3 tests, said the vaccine called Coronavac proved to be safe after its two doses were applied to 9,000 volunteers.
But Butantan director Dimas Covas said data on how effective the vaccine is in protecting people against the new coronavirus will not be released until it has been tested on all of the 15,000 volunteers in expanded trials.
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Sao Paulo state health secretary Jean Gorinchteyn said the vaccines appeared to produce protective antibodies. The state is hoping to obtain regulatory approval for Coronavac by the end of the year to start inoculating its population early in 2021.