Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine has an efficacy rate of 50% in one hard-hit region of Brazil, a study finds, which could fuel fresh doubts over the efficacy of Chinese vaccines and raise the urgency to change current vaccination strategy.

New real world data for Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine from hard-hit Brazil could fuel fresh doubts over the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, but also raise the urgency to change current vaccination strategy.

China's regulators and spin doctors rush to remedy a comment from the nation’s top infectious disease official about the “not high” protection rate for its COVID-19 vaccines, amid debate over speedy development using mature technologies and doubts over protection in seniors. A slow roll-out is already presenting challenges to meeting an official 40% target.

Private Company Edition: The astonishing pace of venture capital investment in drug development continues with another $1.5bn in financings of $100m or more, including $152m for Pyxis and $126m for Omega. New VC funds also continue to launch, including RiverVest’s fifth fund, totaling $275m.