Information about the Hayat- Va Vax vaccine of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been widely reported by international and regional media in recent months.
Hayat- Vax is the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in the Middle East region developed by a joint venture between Abu Dhabi's G42 and Sinopharm. Hayat in Arabian means "life", Khaleej Times.com reported.
The newspaper said that since May, the UAE has started distributing the Hayat- Va Vax vaccine.
According to the UAE's The National newspaper, the Hayat- Va Vax vaccine is a Chinese version of the Sinopharm vaccine manufactured in the UAE, an important part of the UAE's extensive strategy to support vaccinations both domestically and internationally.
Hayat- Vax vaccine bottles have been on the production line since March and the UAE plans to increase production to 2 million doses per month.
The National notes that the Hayat- Va Vax vaccine is produced at the Ras Al Khaimah factory of drug maker Julphar under the Hayat- Va Vax brand. The UAE began producing this Hayat- Va Vax vaccine after reaching an agreement with China to allow Abu Dhabi's G42 and Julphar to produce this vaccine.
Daily Sabah's March report reported that the UAE's Abu Dhabi factory began producing the COVID-19 vaccine of Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm in a joint venture between Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi-based technology company G42.
The article said that the vaccine was called Hayat- Vax when manufactured in the UAE but was a inactive vaccine similar to the vaccine from the Beijing Biopatic Products Institute (BIBP), a unit of the National Biotechnology Corporation of China (CNBG) of Sinopharm.
The Hayat- Va Vax vaccine factory is located in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Industrial Park (KizAD), expected to produce 200 million doses per year with 3 thin lenses and 5 automatic packaging lines, according to a joint venture announcement.
As part of the joint venture, the temporary production of Hayat- Va Vax vaccine has begun in the Kingdom of Ras al-Khaimah under an agreement between G42 and Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries PSC. The temporary production line has an initial capacity of 2 million doses per month and there is no information on how long production will last here.
In March, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said that the UAE will support COVAX's efforts to provide vaccines to developing countries.
Hayat- Vax vaccine can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures, making it easier to use in countries with lower incomes than mRNA vaccines that require extremely cold storage.
On August 11, Reuters reported that the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed it had approved the emergency use of the COVID-19 Hayat- Va Vax vaccine manufactured in the UAE. FDA leader rolando Enrique Domingo said that the UAE-funded Hayat- Vax will be used for people aged 18 and over. In August, the Philippines received 100,000 doses of Hayat- Vax vaccine produced by the UAE.
