Approval of CoronaVac in Brazil and Chile: some lessons on vaccine regulatory challenges

This analysis compares and systematizes some of the milestones (between December 2020 and October 2021) in the approval by Brazil and Chile of the CoronaVac vaccine made by the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, with regard to how the efficacy and immunogenicity of the vaccine was determined. To this end, a comprehensive
analysis was conducted of official public documentation of the vaccine's approval in both countries; likewise, relevant technical articles on the subject, as well as dissemination and discussion in the media were considered. In both cases, a wide range of private and public actors expressed clearly competing interests
in the measurement and dissemination of figures on the vaccine's efficacy. This reveals the challenges that middle-income countries face—and will continue to face—when certifying the quality of products in a pandemic period, and the need to institutionally strengthen regulatory authorities to ensure a sound and accurate evaluation of vaccine quality, in terms of safety and efficiency.