Chinese COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in human trials: Details here
As the world deals with the novel coronavirus pandemic, China National Biotec Group (CNBG) has announced a major milestone in the effort to develop a vaccine for the deadly respiratory disease. The company, which is affiliated to state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), said that its COVID-19 candidate vaccine has displayed promising results in early human trials. Here is all about it.
Vaccine found effective, safe in trials
In a recent post on WeChat, CNBG claimed that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, developed from an inactivated version of the novel coronavirus, has been confirmed to be safe and effective. According to the company, the preliminary data from the trials conducted by its Beijing-based unit has shown that the experimental shot induces a high level of antibodies required to fight off the virus.
Specific data not shared
Despite touting the effectiveness of the vaccine, CNBG did not share the exact results from the Phase 1/2 clinical trial, which was reportedly conducted on as many as 1,120 people. Also, the early data just suggests that the vaccine may work; to completely confirm its efficacy, the shot has to pass through the Phase 3 trial with thousands of volunteers.
CNBG also has a second vaccine in clinical trials
Interestingly, this is the second experimental COVID-19 vaccine from CNBG. The company's Wuhan-based unit has already developed a shot using the inactivated coronavirus platform and is testing it on human volunteers as part of a Phase 1/2 trial. This particular shot has also been able to generate a high level of antibodies in the participants, according to the preliminary data cited by the company.
Phase 3 trials planned in the UAE
Earlier last week, CNBG had announced that it would run the large Phase 3 trial of its vaccine on thousands of people in the United Arab Emirates. However, at the time of writing, it is not exactly clear when these tests would begin and which candidate would be tested - the first, the second, or both.
Overall, 16 candidates are moving through trials
At the time of writing, as many as 16 COVID-19 candidate vaccines, relying on different platforms and technologies, are moving through different phases of clinical human trials. Out of these, 7 have been developed at Chinese institutes (including CNBG's both shots), 3 in the US, 2 in the UK, 2 in Germany, and 1 each in Russia and South Korea, respectively.
