50% efficacy? Other countries reporting better results for Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine, says FDA

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)— Amid concerns on the 50% efficacy rate of China-made Sinovac Biotech's coronavirus vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration said it will await the final report on its clinical trials, noting that some countries have been reporting better results.

"They did several arms of the clinical trials of this particular vaccine. They say in Brazil, it's at least 50 percent efficacy— which means it could be 50 percent or higher," FDA director general Eric Domingo told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Monday. "In Turkey, they say it's more than 90 percent efficacy rate."

"What the company has to do is really put all of these trials together and then come up with their own interim clinical trial phase 3 results, and only then can we see and assess how useful this vaccine will be. We can only base our assessment and our evaluation on published scientific reports," he added.

Brazilian researchers, citing findings from Brazil's trial data, earlier reported that Sinovac's vaccine is over 50% effective— a value authorities said was the minimum standard set by the World Health Organization.

RELATED: DOST: Despite 50% effectivity, PH still can't use Sinovac sans full data

Earlier this month, Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government is looking to finalize a 25 million-dose deal with the Chinese manufacturer, with the vaccines seen to reach Philippine shores by March 2021.