BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s National Biotechnology Group (CNBG) said on Sunday that early human test results for a candidate for the coronavirus vaccine suggested it might be safe and effective, the second vaccine candidate in the signature showing encouraging results in a clinical trial.
The experimental injection, developed by a Beijing-based CNBG unit, has raised high-level antibodies in all participants inoculated in a phase 1/2 clinical trial involving 1,120 healthy people, according to preliminary trial data, CNBG said. in a post on the social media platform WeChat, without revealing specific readings.
Chinese companies and researchers have been able to evaluate eight human vaccine candidates at home and abroad, making China a leading candidate in the race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has killed nearly 500,000. people around the world.
CNBG, affiliated with the state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), said earlier this month that another vaccine candidate produced by its Wuhan-based unit also safely triggered high-level antibodies in trial participants. based on preliminary results.
A vaccine must demonstrate its effectiveness in the human “Phase 3” trial in which thousands of participants are recruited for sale authorization.
CNBG said Tuesday that it will execute a Phase 3 for its vaccine candidate in the UAE, without specifying which vaccine will be tested.
Reports by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore
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