China slips in COVID-19 vaccine race on doubts over effectiveness
Xi made inoculation diplomacy a key part of global strategy 6park.com

A Sinovac production line for the coronavirus vaccine at its Beijing site. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
SHIN WATANABE, Nikkei staff writer, and NORIYUKI TAKADA, Nikkei advanced medicine editorNovember 27, 2020 03:29 JST 6park.com
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BEIJING -- China's vaccine diplomacy faces a setback as questions arise about the efficacy and safety of its coronavirus inoculations while the country speeds a large-scale rollout despite the candidates remaining in the clinical trial phase.
Beijing once led the global race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but U.S. and European pharmaceutical firms are close to bringing candidates to market.
On Nov. 17, British medical journal The Lancet featured a study about the efficacy of Sinovac Biotech's vaccine candidate based on initial clinical trials. It found that the Chinese company's candidate generated lower levels of protective antibodies than those present in recovered coronavirus patients. The efficacy was determined to be moderate. 6park.com
In contrast, the candidates from U.S.-based Pfizer and Moderna were found to be more than 90% effective, while the offering from Britain's AstraZeneca had an overall efficacy rate of 70%. Both American pharma companies used cutting-edge technology to develop their products.
Sinovac used an inactivated virus that does not induce illness to develop its candidate, a tried-and-true method long employed for fighting pathogens such as influenza. The report of moderate success therefore caused ripples because more solid results were expected.
The team in The Lancet study confirmed the presence of antibodies and found no safety problems, sufficient evidence to continue with clinical trials. Sinovac senior director Meng Weining told an online conference on Nov. 20 that final-phase trials were proceeding smoothly.
"I guess maybe next month we'll have data available," he said.
Eleven vaccine candidates worldwide are in final clinical trials, four of them Chinese. China began vaccine development at a fevered pitch in January, mainly through Sinovac and state-owned giant Sinopharm Group.
Both companies have ramped up inoculations at home, even while remaining in the midst of final-stage trials.
People lined up to receive inoculations Thursday at a Sinopharm research lab in Beijing, a program that has been expanded before the end of clinical trials.

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