China Reveals Emergency Authorizations for Two COVID-19 Vaccines

Two COVID-19 vaccine candidates being developed by Chinese pharma companies have already received emergency authorization in China, the country’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) revealed.

Sinovac Biotech and the state-owned Sinopharm obtained emergency clearance in July for their two-dose inactivated vaccine candidates, but the Chinese government did not publicize its authorizations until now. It’s unclear which of the two candidates Sinopharm is developing was selected for emergency use.

The leader of China’s COVID-19 vaccine development task force, Zheng Zhongwei, said that the country’s drug regulator has been granting Emergency Use Authorizations since July to allow the vaccines to be used temporarily among high-risk populations, such as medical staff and frontline pandemic workers.

Commenting on the prices for the vaccines, Zheng said they will be derived from the production costs, not the level of demand. "It's not to say that the companies cannot make a profit from the vaccines, but the fundamental rule is that the profit should be moderate and reasonable and based on the costs of making the vaccines,” he said.

Both Sinovac and Sinopharm are currently conducting late-stage trials of their vaccine hopefuls. Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccine candidates from Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca are also being evaluated in phase 3 clinical trials. — James Miessler