Sinovac combat human infective diseases

. . . plays a significant part in the Belt and Road Initiative

SEEPHEEPHE MAHAO

BEIJING: Vaccines are essential for the control and prevention of many communicable diseases, playing a significant role in controlling death rate and extending life expectancy. This week, China’s leading bio-pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd held an Open Day for International Media to share its history and products.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd focuses mainly on the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of vaccines that protect against  contagious diseases.

With its mission to supply vaccines to eliminate human diseases, the company has developed an extensive product line over the past two decades, which include vaccines against COVID-19, enterovirus71 (EV71), infected Hand-Foot-Mouth disease (HFMD), hepatitis A, varicella, seasonal influenza, poliomyelitis, pneumococcal disease and mumps.

Qiang Gao, Chief Operations Officer, expressed the safety of their vaccines, he said the company will establish bases and continue to explore and provide high quality services to the people. “Up to now, with more than 3 billion doses shipped globally, Sinovac’s vaccines have been used in more than 80 countries, providing protection for a larger number of populations”, said Qiang.

Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac, established in 2021, was approved for use in more than 60 countries worldwide and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the emergency use listing procedure, for use in children as young as three years old.

Weining Meng, the company’s Chairman of Quality Management Committee, who presented their contribution to the global disease control and worldwide vaccine sharing said Sinovac launched Research & Development collaboration in 6 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries and supplied 1.17 billion doses of CoronaVac to 48 BRI countries.

There are also 20 research projects in 10 BRI countries, 95 marketing approvals and emergency use authorizations, 17 technology licensing agreements for vaccine production signed in 12 BRI countries.

During the recent opening ceremony of the Third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit, President Xi Jinping emphasized how the Belt and Road became a “life-saving road” as China provided more than 10 billion masks and 2.3 billion doses of vaccine, as well as collectively producing vaccines with over 20 countries. CoronaVac significantly contributed to these achievements.

CoronaVac has been approved for use in more than 60 countries for pediatric patients, It is an administered Covid-19 vaccine with over 2.9billion doses supplied worldwide.

On his recorded speech, the company Chief Executive Officer Weidong Yin said Sinovac’s vaccines benefited a number of countries worldwide, therefore they have the opportunity to make foreign investments, establish joint ventures, engage in research and production partnerships and foster the development of high-quality vaccines and other bio-pharmaceutical products under the BRI cooperation.

Sinovac have attached great importance to Research & Development and innovation. Currently, the company have a research and development team of over 600 people and has established an academic workstation, as well as a national-level post-doctoral scientific research workstation.

Sinovac is constantly exploring opportunities in the international market and is looking forward to conducting extensive and in-depth trade and cooperation with an increasing number of countries, enterprises, and institutions. In the future, the Company also plans to build additional manufacturing bases around the world.