Permission for early Stage Human Trials
China has recently approved clinical trials for two more experimental vaccines to combat the novel coronavirus. This is a significant step by the country as the scientists around the world are toiling hard to find a vaccine for COVID-19. “The vaccines use inactivated coronavirus pathogens, and the approvals pave the way for early stage human trials,” said Wu Yuanbin, an official from China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. China’s state food and drug administration has approved one vaccine developed by Beijing based unit of Nasdaq-listed Sinovac Biotech as well as another vaccine developed by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and Wuhan Institute of Virology.
China now has Three Clinical Trials
China now has three different clinical trials for three possible coronavirus vaccines. Beijing approved the first trial for vaccine de3veloped by the military-backed academy of military medical sciences and Hong Kong listed biotech firm CanSino Bio recently. On the same day, the US drug developer Moderna said it had begun human tests for their vaccine with the US National Institutes of Health. Vaccination of subjects during the first phase of clinical trials and the recruitment of volunteers for the second phase of clinical trials began on April 9 and it is the world’s first coronavirus vaccine to initiate phase II studies.
Using Alternative Methods
Chinese teams are also racing to develop vaccines using other methods including using attenuated influenza virus vectors or injecting specific nucleic acid. Several of these projects are currently undergoing animal testing and quality inspections. The vaccines using the above technical methods are expected to be submitted for clinical trials in April and May. Experts have raised hopes by saying that the vaccine could be ready within 19 months. Currently, as there is no vaccine available to cure COVID-19, this step from China becomes a significant one.
