Sinopharm's COVID Booster Reverses Antibody Decline, Enhances Cell-Based Responses

In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, a man receives his Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from a medical staffer at Guru Nanak Darbar temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)
In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, a man receives his Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from a medical staffer at Guru Nanak Darbar temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)
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Sinopharm's COVID Booster Reverses Antibody Decline, Enhances Cell-Based Responses

In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, a man receives his Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from a medical staffer at Guru Nanak Darbar temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)
In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, a man receives his Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from a medical staffer at Guru Nanak Darbar temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)

A third shot of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine leads to a rebound in antibody levels that drop months after a second dose, a small-scale Chinese study showed.

It also showed the booster enhanced cell-based responses to the coronavirus, reported Reuters.

The findings yet to undergo peer review, come as China starts to give a third COVID-19 shot to higher risk members of the population, as concerns grow that waning antibody levels over time could weaken protection against the virus.

The Sinopharm vaccine is among China's major inoculation tools and is also used in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Cambodia.

About five months after a second Sinopharm dose, the average concentration of neutralizing antibody against the virus dropped by 70% from the level seen four weeks after that shot, according to analysis of samples taken from vaccinated healthcare workers.

But one week after a third shot, the antibody concentration had increased 7.2-fold compared with the level seen five months after the second shot, researchers from a hospital affiliated with the Sun Yat-sen University said in the paper.

The study on the BBIBP-CorV shot did not discuss how the changes in antibody concentration might impact the vaccine's efficacy, or how the boosted antibody works against variants of the virus.

Several other vaccines have also shown declines in antibody levels over time and their developers have used such data to make a case for boosters.

But some scientists say more data is needed to decide whether boosters are needed.

Cellular responses, another important part of the human immune system, also improved after the third Sinopharm shot, the paper said. "Both humoral and cellular responses were induced by the third dose of robustly and rapidly," researchers said, adding the cellular responses could be key for durable protection.

But two experts outside the study said the implication of the cellular readings could be limited, partly because it remains unclear how T cell-mediated responses correlate with COVID shots' protection.



Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
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Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its US production, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on social media.

The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic beverages -- a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement, AFP said.

"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them -- You'll see. It's just better!"

The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke.

Since his return to the White House, Trump has re-installed a special button in the Oval Office which summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink.

Coca-Cola did not immediately confirm the ingredient shift.

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon," the company said in a short statement.

HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar.

Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.

Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose. However, they differ structurally: HFCS contains free (unbonded) fructose and glucose in varying ratios -- 55/45 in soft drinks -- while sucrose consists of the two sugars chemically bonded together.

These structural differences, however, don't appear to significantly affect health outcomes.

A 2022 review of clinical studies found no meaningful differences between HFCS and sucrose in terms of weight gain or heart health.

The only notable distinction was an increase in a marker of inflammation in people consuming HFCS. Overall, both sweeteners appear similarly impactful when consumed at equal calorie levels.

Despite this, Mexican Coke -- which is made with cane sugar -- is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more "natural" flavor.

Trump's prized Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame -- a compound classified as a "possible carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).