Foreign news

Sinovac launches Phase 3 trial for COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia, reports Phase 2 details

Published

5 years ago

August 25, 2020

China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd launched a late-stage human trial on Tuesday that will involve as many as 1,620 patients in Indonesia for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate that it is developing with Indonesian state-owned peer Bio Farma.

Sinovac is testing its vaccine abroad because there are too few new infection cases in China, making it no longer a satisfactory site for late-stage trials.

Separately, Sinovac released details on Monday from a mid-stage, or Phase 2, study in which it said the vaccine candidate appeared to be safe and induced detectable antibody-based immune responses in subjects.

The candidate, known as CoronaVac, is among a few potential vaccines that have entered late-stage trials for a large-scale study to gather proof of efficacy for regulatory approval.

CoronaVac is already undergoing a late-stage trial in Brazil and Sinovac expects to also test it in Bangladesh.

Sinovac’s Indonesia trial comes as Southeast Asia’s most populous country grapples with spiking infection numbers, with over 127,000 cases recorded as of Tuesday. The trial has so far recruited 1,215 people and will last six months.

“The threat of COVID-19 will not subside until a vaccine is given to all the people,” said Indonesian President Joko Widodo at a ceremony to launch the trial in Bandung, West Java. “Hopefully in January, we can produce and vaccinate everyone in the country.”

In addition to Bio Farma and Sinovac, private Indonesian firm Kalbe Farma and South Korea’s Genexine are cooperating to produce a separate vaccine. It is yet unclear how many doses these partnerships will produce and by when.

In Sinovac’s mid-stage trial involving 600 participants in China, the rate of fever in patients was relatively lower than other COVID-19 candidates including one from AstraZeneca, the study showed ahead of peer review.

Mid-stage trials usually test a candidate’s safety and ability to trigger an immune response in a relatively small number of people before it enters late-stage tests.

The study noted that the process to make the vaccines used in the Phase 2 trial was more optimized than in Phase 1, which produced more immunogens and triggered better immune responses.

Vaccines used in the late-stage trials will be made using the optimized process, a Sinovac spokesman said.

The Phase 2 results only included antibody-based immunity, the researchers said, adding that the candidate was being evaluated for other important components of the immune system

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Foreign news

Algeria Celebrates 71 Years of Freedom in Abuja with Style, Showcasing Its Success Stories

Published

5 days ago

November 19, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Algeria’s 71st National Day was celebrated in Abuja with colour, pride, and diplomatic elegance, as the Algerian Embassy hosted dignitaries, government officials, and members of the diplomatic community to mark the anniversary of the historic 1954 National Liberation Revolution.

Speaking at the event, the Algerian Ambassador to Nigeria, Hocine Mezoued, described the day as a moment of deep pride for Algerians worldwide.

He recalled that the November Revolution marked the beginning of a courageous struggle that led to independence in 1962 after 132 years of colonial occupation and the sacrifice of more than five million martyrs.

According to the Ambassador, the Revolution remains “an inexhaustible source of pride and patriotism for the entire Algerian people, guiding their path towards development and well-being.”

Ambassador Mezoued outlined Algeria’s accomplishments since independence, noting major investments in human, economic, social, and environmental development. He stated that Algeria is currently Africa’s third-largest economy, with a GDP of nearly US$300 billion, and projections to reach US$400 billion by 2027.

He further emphasized Algeria’s strong commitment to social welfare, which guarantees free access to education, healthcare, and decent housing for all its citizens.

The Ambassador praised the growing bilateral cooperation between Algeria and Nigeria, describing 2025 as a year marked by significant diplomatic and economic milestones. He highlighted deeper collaboration in diplomacy, parliamentary exchange, energy, and trade.

A major step in parliamentary cooperation was the visit of a high-level Nigerian delegation to Algeria last October, led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, represented during the Abuja celebrations by Hon. Abubakar Babazango, Chairman of the Nigeria–Algeria Parliamentary Friendship Group.

In the economic sector, he noted fruitful engagements between SONATRACH and NNPC Limited, and the advancement of three key strategic projects. He also announced that Air Algérie commenced direct flights from Algiers to Abuja in April 2025, boosting economic and cultural ties.

Algeria continues to support human-capacity development in Nigeria through scholarships in higher education, vocational training, and religious studies, 270 scholarships during the academic year 2025-2026

The Ambassador also highlighted the success of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) hosted in Algiers in September, which saw strong participation from Nigerian businesses exploring opportunities in Algeria’s agro-food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and home appliance sectors. Several trade agreements were signed, opening new commercial prospects between both countries.

In his remarked, the Speaker, House of Representatives Federal Republic of Nigeria Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, who was represented at the occasion by Chairman, Nigeria Algeria Parliamentary Friendship Group Committee HON. ABUBAKAR BABAZANGO praised the resilience and sacrifice of the Algerian people, describing the Independence anniversary as a symbol of hope across Africa.

He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening relations with Algeria, particularly through the Parliamentary Friendship Group, and emphasized cooperation in trade, energy, education, and cultural exchange.

He extended warm greetings to the President and people of Algeria, expressing hope that the friendship between both nations would continue to flourish in unity, progress, and shared prosperity.

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