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NMRA approves Sinovac for emergency use in Sri Lanka
16 Jul, 2021
By Easwaran Rutnam
The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has approved the emergency use of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine in Sri Lanka.
The Sinovac vaccine has already been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
The vaccine is produced by the Beijing-based pharmaceutical company Sinovac.
The Sinovac-CoronaVac product is an inactivated vaccine. Its easy storage requirements make it very manageable and particularly suitable for low-resource settings.
WHO?s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has also completed its review of the vaccine.
On the basis of available evidence, WHO recommends the vaccine for use in adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of two to four weeks.
Vaccine efficacy results showed that the vaccine prevented symptomatic disease in 51% of those vaccinated and prevented severe COVID-19 and hospitalization in 100% of the studied population. (Colombo Gazette)
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