The European vaccine regulator, the EMA, will monitor the trials of the coronavirus vaccine produced by the Chinese state-owned company, Sinovac.
This rolling review is the last step before the developers request approval and the EMA decides whether the vaccine can be marketed.
The EMA has decided to initiate this process based on preliminary investigation results. Said results suggest that the vaccine will trigger the production of antibodies targeting the coronavirus and may help protect against the disease.
The regulator will review the data that is already available about the vaccine during the final research phase. When enough data is available to complete this phase, the rolling review will stop.
By looking at the data during the ongoing research, the vaccine can be assessed more quickly. If the EMA then considers the vaccine to be effective and safe, it could possibly be used in Europe.
Vaccine Appears to be Less Effective
Figures on the effectiveness of the Sinovac product vary depending on where the research has been conducted. Immunologist Marjolein van Egmond of Amsterdam UMC told NU.nl on Monday, that the efficacy starts at 50 percent, but sometimes turns out to be much higher.
“It appears to be less effective than RNA vaccines, such as Pfizer and Moderna, but it is still effective in preventing people from becoming seriously ill and ending up in hospital. Overall, it is still a very useful vaccine,” the immunologist concluded.
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