By Sulaiman Dayat Syarif
KUALA LUMPUR, 22 January 2022: Sinovac Biotech Ltd recently announced new research showing that three doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine elicited more robust neutralising antibodies in 95 percent of recipients compared with 3.3 percent for the second dose against Variants of Concern (VOC), including Omicron.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd spokesperson Pearson Liu said in a statement released today by Pharmaniaga Berhad that the research shows that inactivated vaccinations, which are one of the most extensively used vaccines globally, are still effective against COVID-19.
“As the world continues to combat the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the results supported a three-dose immunisation regimen to ensure greater protection against COVID-19, a finding that aligns with World Health Organisation and local health authorities worldwide for all types of COVID-19 vaccines,” he said.
Pharmaniaga is the sole supplier of the Sinovac vaccine in Malaysia.
According to the statement, the research that was shared on bioRxiv’s medical journal posting was conducted in China and examined the immune response of CoronaVac (Sinovac) in 120 participants.
Researchers isolated 323 human monoclonal antibodies (antibodies made by cloning a unique white blood cell) that target various virus areas for effective killing from participants who had received three doses of the CoronaVac vaccine.
The statement stated that out of these 323 antibodies, more than 300 antibodies exhibited adequate killing activity against most VOCs and Variants of Interest (VOI). The research also showed that most antibodies could react with the Omicron Receptor Binding Domains (RBD).
It said that about a dozen of the antibodies have a direct and highly potent neutralisation effect for the Omicron variant, neutralising the virus by directly blocking interactions between the virus and its human cells.
“Thus, demonstrating that the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine booster dosage activates T cells against the Omicron variation in the same way as the original strain.”
Pharmaniaga Berhad is the leading pharmaceutical company in the Boustead Holdings Berhad group of companies, and the company’s significant shareholders are Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera and Pharmaniaga Berhad. ***
Source: Bernama