EU regulator begins reviewing China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

The first step towards possible approval comes after studies suggested the shot produces an immune response against coronavirus.

The European Union’s medicines regulator has started a rolling review of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac to assess its effectiveness and safety, marking the first step towards its possible approval for use in the 27-nation bloc. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that its decision to start the review was based on preliminary results from laboratory and clinical studies, involving animals and humans, which suggest the vaccine produces an immune response against the coronavirus. “These studies suggest that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies … and may help protect against the disease,” the agency said in a statement.