BUDAPEST, March 22 — China’s CanSino Biologics Inc (CanSinoBIO) said today its Covid-19 vaccine has been authorised for emergency use in Hungary, the second Chinese vaccine to receive approval in that nation.

The Hungarian National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition granted the approval for its vaccine, with the trade name Convidecia, based on the interim results of its phase III trial, the company said in a statement.

It was the first EU nation to buy and use Chinese or Russian shots and initially came under fire for its separate approval process and negotiations for the vaccines.

More recently, several European countries have also expressed interest in buying those vaccines as shipments from Western suppliers lagged.

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Hungary has also approved a Covid-19 vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group’s (Sinopharm) for use in the country.

CanSinoBIO’s vaccine is a single-dose vaccine that is currently also approved in China, Pakistan and Mexico.

Hungary’s daily coronavirus infections on Friday surpassed 10,000, hitting a record of 10,759, while the daily death toll also hit a record at 213 in the central European country of 10 million. — Reuters

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