A vaccine developed by a unit of China National Biotec Group (CNBG) is 79.34% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 and the company is seeking regulatory approval for general public use in China, the developer said on Wednesday.
The efficacy rate, based on interim analysis of Phase 3 clinical trials, is lower than 86% rate for the same vaccine announced by the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 9, based on preliminary data from trials there.
A company spokeswoman declined to explain the discrepancy and said detailed results would be released later, without giving a timeline.
There have been fragmental releases of efficacy data for Chinese vaccine makers COVID-19 candidates, which are being considered by many developing countries for mass inoculation campaigns.
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Health experts warn that the differing results could undermine confidence in these vaccines.
0:44 Coronavirus: China backs CoronaVac vaccine, says it’s safe and effective
Coronavirus: China backs CoronaVac vaccine, says it’s safe and effective – Nov 18, 2020
Turkish researchers said on Thursday their interim result on a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech showed 91.25% efficacy only to see a confusing readout the same day from Brazil which said the vaccine’s efficacy was between 50% and 90%.
The CNBG vaccine is among the five most advanced candidates from China in terms of development and has been used in the country’s emergency use program that has vaccinated hundreds of thousands of people since July.
The CNBG unit, called Beijing Biological Products Institute, said in a statement that the efficacy rate is based on interim analysis of data from its Phase 3 trials and it had applied to the National Medical Products Administration for conditional approval of the vaccine.
It did not give details such as the number of infections in the trial, what, if any, side effects it identified, how many volunteers were given the vaccine or a placebo.
CNBG, a subsidiary of state-backed China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), has another vaccine in late-stage trials and both have been approved for emergency use in China even as studies have not been completed.
(Reporting by Roxanne Liu, Miyoung Kim and Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez & Simon Cameron-Moore)
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
