WHO prequalifies Sinovac Polio vaccine

Published On 2022-06-12 04:30 GMT   |   Update On 2024-02-15 18:21 GMT

Beijing: SINOVAC Biotech Ltd. has announced that the company has received the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for its Poliomyelitis Vaccine (Vero Cell, Inactivated Sabin strains) ("sIPV") on June 2, 2022. The vaccine will be available for United Nations (UN) agencies to purchase to support the global polio endgame strategy.

SINOVAC's sIPV is applicable for active immunization against polioviruses Type 1, 2, and 3 for children and infants aged two months and above. The basic immunization schedule is three doses with the first dose for infants at 2 months old, followed by two successive doses 4-6 weeks apart. One dose should be injected as a booster at the age of 18 months. Other age groups can also receive the vaccine if needed. The vaccine can be used sequentially with oral polio attenuated live vaccine (OPV).

Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, mainly affects children under 5 years of age. Poliovirus is usually spread from person to person through infected fecal matter entering the mouth. It may also be spread by food or water containing human feces and less commonly from infected saliva, causing damage to motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal. The main symptoms are fever, general malaise and, in severe cases, pain in the limbs, and irregularly distributed and mild flaccid paralysis.

With the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, countries where wild polio strains still exist have experienced an increasing prevalence of polio cases. Some other countries also reported more vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) and vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) cases due to the virus circulating in the environment and human body, especially with the number of VAPP cases reaching a peak over the past 10 years.

SINOVAC will work closely with global public health institutions to promote the final step of polio eradication.

Read also: Walvax Biotechnology COVID booster stronger against Omicron than Sinovac shot, shows trial data

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