Sinopharm booster vaccine is more effective as a third dose than its original vaccine

A protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, produced by Sinopharm when given as a booster after two doses of the previous vaccine by the Chinese company, elicited a stronger antibody response to the Omicron variant than a third dose of its own. showed a study.

The study, which was published on Tuesday and was not evaluated by peers, came amid concerns about the effectiveness of Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine, one of the top two COVID-19 vaccines exported from China, against the Omicron variant. .

A previous study showed that a BBIBP-CorV booster vaccine had a weaker effect on Omicron than on an older coronavirus strain in Wuhan, central China.

Sinopharm’s NVSI-06-07 protein vaccine, approved for emergency use as a booster in the United Arab Emirates in December, uses a different technology from the BBIBP-CorV vaccine, which contains an inactivated form of the coronavirus.

Among 192 healthy adults vaccinated with two doses of BBIBP-CorV for six months or more, the level of antibody neutralization against Omicron those receiving later booster NVSI-06-07 was “significantly higher” than those receiving BBIBP-CorV as a third dose. , said the researchers.

The authors of the paper, including researchers from the Sinopharm and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City units in Abu Dhabi, warned that it remained unclear how long the NVSI-06-07 booster would last.