Comprehensive Report on the Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (WIBP-CorV, WIV04 Strain, DB15862)

1. Introduction and Background

1.1. Vaccine Identification and Developer

The Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine, known scientifically as WIBP-CorV, utilizes the WIV04 strain of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is cataloged under DrugBank ID DB15862.[1] This vaccine was developed by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), which is part of the state-owned Sinopharm conglomerate.[1]

A crucial aspect of discussing this vaccine is the consistent and careful differentiation between WIBP-CorV (WIV04 strain, developed by the Wuhan Institute) and Sinopharm's other prominent inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, BBIBP-CorV (HB02 strain, developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products). Although both are inactivated whole-virus vaccines originating from Sinopharm, they are distinct products. This distinction is particularly important because pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials, such as the one registered under NCT04510207 and ChiCTR2000034780, evaluated both vaccine strains in parallel against a common placebo group, revealing different efficacy point estimates.[5] Furthermore, their international regulatory pathways and subsequent global uptake have diverged significantly, most notably concerning the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL), which was granted to BBIBP-CorV but not to WIBP-CorV.[7] Failure to maintain this specificity would lead to inaccuracies in attributing efficacy, safety, and regulatory data, thereby compromising the integrity of this report.

1.2. Vaccine Type and Rationale