Pakistan approves Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

Authorities in Pakistan on Monday green-lighted emergency use of Chinese anti-coronavirus vaccine by Sinopharm amid ongoing second COVID-19 wave.

Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan approved use of the vaccine for emergency across Pakistan.

The decision was taken in meetings held between January 14 and 18 after reviewing vaccine results data submitted by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The move also allows federal and provincial governments, and private sector to import the anit-COVID-19 drug.

The drug is developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a Sinopharm subsidiary. On December 30, Sinopharm announced that phase III trials showed the vaccine was 79% effective.

Thus far, the vaccine has been approved for use in China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain and Serbia.

Last week, the body also approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca for emergency use.

"DRAP granted emergency use authorisation to AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine," the country's health minister, Faisal Sultan, told Reuters.