Sinovac says its COVID-19 vaccine more effective with longer dosing interval

[snoop1130]

Sinovac says its COVID-19 vaccine more effective with longer dosing interval

 

FILE PHOTO: A nurse receives a dose of the Sinovac's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, after Brazil health regulator Anvisa approved its emergency use at Hospital das Clinicas in Sao Paulo, Brazil January 17, 2021. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Sinovac Biotech said on Monday that a clinical trial in Brazil showed its COVID-19 vaccine was almost 20 percentage points more effective in a small sub-group of patients who received their two doses longer apart.

 

The protection rate for 1,394 participants who received doses of either CoronaVac or placebo three weeks apart was nearly 70%, a Sinovac spokesman said.

 

Brazilian researchers announced last week that the vaccine's overall efficacy was 50.4% based on results from more than 9,000 volunteers, most of whom received doses 14 days apart, as outlined in the trial protocol.

 

The spokesman said a small number of participants received their second shot late due to a various reasons, without elaborating.

 

The dosing interval for COVID-19 vaccines has become a hot topic of debate among scientists, regulators and governments.

 

UK regulators have said a COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University is more effective when there is a longer gap between doses than initially envisaged.

 

Britain has also decided to allow a longer gap between doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, even though the companies say they only have efficacy data for a shorter period between shots.

 

The Sinovac spokesman cautioned the robustness of the data from the sub-group was weaker than the 50% result, which is based on the combined data of those receiving doses two or three weeks apart.

 

While Sinovac's researchers had said early stage trials showed a four-week interval induced the stronger antibody response than two weeks, this is the first time the company has released efficacy data from a Phase III trial with dosing patterns that differ from its trial protocol.

 

Sinovac has yet to release global results of its Phase III trials, but its COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use in several countries, including Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-18

 

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[YetAnother]

5 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

China's Sinovac Biotech said on Monday that a clinical trial in Brazil showed its COVID-19 vaccine was almost 20 percentage points more effective in a small sub-group of patients who received their two doses longer apar

sales job

[meechai]

Fits in nicely with that other Thai recent report that they wanted to stretch time between shots to over a year to make their short supply go further

[Caldera]

Even if true, 70% is still pretty sh...oddy compared with other vaccines.

 

[Ireland32]

They can put in a shiny red box , No Damn Way I take anything Chinese....

[NumbNut]

3 minutes ago, Ireland32 said:

They can put in a shiny red box , No Damn Way I take anything Chinese....

Yep. No damn way I buy ANYTHING Chinese!

[1Gringo]

so long as the time gap is between never and no way in hell, I'm all in for the Sinovax

[rwill]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The protection rate for 1,394 participants who received doses of either CoronaVac or placebo three weeks apart was nearly 70%, a Sinovac spokesman said.

So the placebo is just as effective???

[Iron Tongue]

If someone dies after the first Sinovac dose, do they count it as a success since there will certainly be a long interval until a second dose?

[DavisH]

4 hours ago, Caldera said:

Even if true, 70% is still pretty sh...oddy compared with other vaccines.

 

70% is about what can be expected from a flu vaccine. I'mm believe ther other 90-95% efficacies when I see data from 100'sK people. The bigger the sample suze the better. Then there is the question of how long immunity lasts. 

[Paradise Pete]

The best vaccine is the one you can get, even if it's 50% effective, because if you still get sick you're much more likely to have a mild case, as your immune system will have a head start in fighting it.

[Isaan sailor]

Willing to bet, very few expats will take the Chinese Sinovac shot.  Bring in the Pfizer, please.