SINOVAC Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced that it had signed an advance purchase agreement (APA) with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi Alliance), which is on behalf of COVAX Facility, to provide up to 380 million doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac® for distribution under COVAX Facility.
According to the APA, SINOVAC will supply 50 million doses of CoronaVac® by the end of September of 2021. In addition, Gavi has the option to purchase an additional 150 million doses in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 180 million more doses in the first half of 2022. In total, up to 380 million doses of CoronaVac® will be available to both self-financing participants of the Facility as well as those supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC.
Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi said:
I welcome today’s agreement, which will make doses immediately available to COVAX participants. This is yet another example of Gavi’s active portfolio management strategy, ensuring the Facility has options in the face of constraints such as supply delays. Thanks to this deal, and because these vaccines have already received WHO Emergency Use Listing, we can move to start supplying doses to countries immediately.
Mr. Weidong Yin, Chairman, President, and CEO of SINOVAC said:
Our mission at Sinovac is to supply vaccines in an effort to eliminate human disease. We appreciate the efforts from international organizations, including WHO and COVAX partners, to accelerate the efforts of disease prevention. Sinovac has delivered over one billion doses globally as of the end of June 2021with the aim of contributing to the accessibility and affordability of Covid-19 vaccines during this pandemic. Further, safety and regular transportation and storage condition of inactivated vaccine supports easy access to the vaccine in every corner on the globe.
The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) had systematically reviewed and evaluated evidence of vaccine safety and effect of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine, recommending two doses of CoronaVac® for adults aged 18 and above. Following the review by SAGE, the WHO announced its intention to authorize Sinovac’s CoronaVac® for Emergency Use on June 1, 2021.
On July 8, the Lancet published study results of phase Ⅲ trial results in Turkey, showing Sinovac’s CoronaVac® can prevent 83.5% of symptomatic cases and 100% of fatal and hospitalized cases. On July 7, 2021, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) online published the results of a real-world study of Chile’s mass vaccination with CoronaVac®. The results show that the vaccine has 65.9% effectivness in protecting symptomatic cases. Its vaccine can reduce 87.5% of hospitalizations, and prevent 90.3% of serious cases and 86.3% of deaths. This is the first time that NEJM has published the real world research results of CoronaVac® in a large sample size, marking that the validity data of the Company’s vaccine in a real-world study recognized by international peers.
