Tan Desai, director-general of the World Health Organization, announced on May 7 that the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine (Vero cell) developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products of Sinopharm China National Biotec Group has obtained emergency use authorization of WHO and is included into the global Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

"This is the first emergency use certification of China's COVID-19 approved by the WHO, and the first COVID-19 vaccine approved by the WHO in a non-Western country. It is another leap forward in realizing China's COVID-19 vaccine as a global public product," said a person in charge of Sinopharm China National Biotec Group.

Being included in the WHO EUL is a manifestation of the quality level and comprehensive strength of a country and enterprise's vaccine research, development and production. 

The WHO review concluded that the efficacy of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine from the Sinopharm China National Biotec Group was from 78.1 percent to 90 percent, and no safety problems were found in the clinical trial data.

Up to now, China's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for registration or emergency use in 70 countries, regions and international organizations around the world. 

More than 100 countries and international organizations have put forward procurement requirements. The domestic and international supply of more than 200 million doses has covered 196 million inoculations. It is the most widely used, most effective, safest, and most acclaimed COVID-19 vaccine in the world.

Currently, the biotechnology and massive health industry has become the third 100 billion-level industrial cluster in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA). 

The BDA and Sinopharm Group signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement last October.

The Beijing Institute of Biological Products of Sinopharm Group has taken a leading role in the core key technologies of biomedicine. 

In the future, the BDA will formulate a more detailed industrial development plan for the biomedical industry, and promote the development of biomedical clusters through industrial layout.