Hungary — The First EU Member that Approves BIBP’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Müller Cecília, Chief Medical Officer of Hungary, announced at a press conference on January 29 that, Hungary’s drug regulator gave use approval to the Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. (BIBP), China National Biotec Group Company Limited (CNBG), Sinopharm (BIBP’s COVID-19 Vaccine), making Hungary the first EU member to approve the use of a Chinese vaccine, Reuters reported. 

Reuters: Hungary became the first European Union member to approve China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

      According to Hungarian Center for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Hungary reported 1,459 new confirmed cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total of confirmed cases to 364,909; 83 new deaths, bringing the cumulative total of deaths to 12,374; and a total of 254,783 cured cases.

      Premier Orban also said that the Hungarian government was closely following the mass vaccination in neighboring Serbia. Serbia has vaccinated more than 300,000 citizens with Chinese vaccines, including the Hungarian community in the north. In mid-January, the first batch of 1 million doses of BIBP’s COVID-19 vaccine were delivered to Serbia, making it the first EU state to use Chinese vaccines for mass vaccination.

      On December 31, 2020, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council held a press conference, at which the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) announced that it had conditionally granted conditional marketing approval to BIBP’s COVID-19 vaccine on December 30.

      BIBP will spare no effort in the R&D, production and use of COVID-19 vaccines to provide strong support for realizing the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines as a global public good, and contribute China’s part to the world.