The UAE Covid vaccine could become a global leader, but we must see full data | Sophie Zinser

China and the Emirates have teamed up to launch a rebranded vaccine - and that's good news for the developing world

hina's leading vaccine just got rebranded. On Sunday 28 March, its major pharmaceutical company, Sinopharm, announced a new joint venture with G42, a UAE-based tech company: the vaccine is called Hayat-Vax, hayat meaning life" in Arabic. The partnership shows immense promise as a new source of vaccines across the developing world.

But there's a catch: a lack of scientific transparency in its phase III clinical trial data. A successful phase III trial is the golden seal confirming a jab's efficacy once and for all. It allows scientists to observe possible side effects and make comparisons with placebo cases, while mirroring real-life conditions. From a scientific perspective, it provides critical evidence for developing future vaccines. But Hayat-Vax's phase III data hasn't been released.