(Yicai) Jan. 23 -- Sinovac Biotech has won the exclusive contract to supply Oman’s national immunization program with the Chinese pharmaceutical giant’s inactivated hepatitis A vaccine, called Healive, for the fiscal year 2026-27.

Securing the contract demonstrates the confidence Gulf Cooperation Council countries have in the product’s quality and in Sinovac’s ability to meet international delivery and execution requirements, the Beijing-based company announced yesterday.

The deal represents an important breakthrough for Sinovac in the Middle East and Africa markets, the firm said. Vaccines for the immunization programs of Oman and the other five members of the GCC have mostly been supplied by multinational drugmakers in the past.

Healive is China's first inactivated hepatitis A vaccine, and it received World Health Organization prequalification in 2017, making it the only hep A jab in China to be prequalified by the WHO.

Oman has included the hepatitis A vaccine in its national immunization program since 2019. Local children receive one dose at 13 months and another at 24 months to establish long-term protection and reduce the risk of disease outbreaks. 

A 15-year follow-up study has shown that Healive can provide effective protection for at least 30 years. Up to now, Sinovac has supplied over 130 million doses of it to nearly 50 countries and regions worldwide.

Editor: Tom Litting