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A staff member takes samples of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine at a Sinopharm vaccine production plant in Beijing, on April 11, 2020. (Photo / Xinhua)
The rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine in China is the result of drawing inspiration from past public health challenges, rapid but meticulous mobilization of talent and resources, and rigorous adherence to strict scientific and medical standards during every step of the way. research, experts said.
As of Oct. 20, there were 44 candidate vaccines in human trials worldwide, 15 of which were developed by China or with Chinese partners, according to the World Health Organization. China has four candidate vaccines in phase three clinical trials. These include three inactivated vaccines and one adenoviral vector-based vaccine, or AdV5.
Lu Shan, a member of China’s COVID-19 vaccine development working group, said the nation’s scientific community responded quickly to the new threat to public health, as evidenced by the Ministry of Science and Technology which held its first interdepartmental meeting on pathogen research. On January 21.
Many leading scientists, from those who study the origin of the virus to those who develop various types of vaccines, were present at the meeting, Lu told the Science and Technology Daily, a newspaper operated by the ministry.
New research projects and talent have been constantly added to the research effort as scientists begin to learn more about the virus, and “funding for a new project often comes the same day it is approved,” he added.
“The development of a vaccine has a high probability of failure and we did not know what technical route can produce a safe and effective vaccine,” Lu said. “But over the years, we’ve built up the talent and resources to test all five routes. The reason for that decision is to ensure success.”
The five technical routes for vaccines are: inactivated vaccines, live influenza vaccines, the two types of nucleic acid-based vaccines – DNA and mRNA, and adenoviral vector-based vaccines. Until last month, all five routes had vaccines that had begun or were ready to begin human trials soon, according to the National Medical Products Administration.
Xu Penghui, a biotechnology researcher at the ministry’s Department of Science and Technology for Social Development, said China’s rapid progress in developing the COVID-19 vaccine is rooted in the nation’s vast professional and managerial knowledge gained. creating new drugs and managing past risks to public health.
“For years, we have been closely monitoring various investigative teams across the country. We know exactly who is leading the investigation and what their accomplishments and capabilities are,” he said.
When a new public threat emerges, the ministry could act as a “chief of staff for scientists” and quickly mobilize researchers based on their specialties to jointly tackle the new challenge, he added.
These research teams are also proactively communicating and collaborating with each other, sharing knowledge and ensuring better allocation of resources.
For example, the ministry first commissioned China National Biotec Group and Sinovac Biotech to create the inactivated vaccine, but then a research team from the Institute of Medical Biology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences joined the company.
The ministry also dedicated staff dedicated to meeting the basic research needs of scientists, such as the acquisition and transfer of laboratory test animals, as well as the redirection of laboratory resources into the limited number of biosafety level 3 laboratories in the country. country to support vaccine development.
Bai He, a biologicals expert with the National Medical Products Administration, said China has a trained expert committee charged with overseeing every key step of vaccine development to ensure research is carried out rigorously, which can reduce the time it takes to correct mistakes.
“If developing a vaccine is like driving a car, our researchers are pushing the gas and the committee is behind the wheel and corrects course if necessary,” he said.
During an inspection of a biotech company in late March, experts discovered that the company’s animal model experiment was poorly designed, so they provided advice for on-site reviews and helped the company save at least two weeks of research time, Bai said.
Yang Xiaoming, chairman of the China National Biotech Group, told reporters in September that despite the global need and urgency to develop an effective vaccine, the company is prohibited from taking shortcuts at any research step.
“Our fundamental principle is not to skip a single step in the investigation and not to lower a single point in safety standards. Only on this basis can we do everything possible and take advantage of every moment for the investigation,” he said.
When the pandemic began, the company immediately allocated 1 billion yuan ($ 149.5 million) for vaccine development. Drawing on its resources and experience, the company ultimately focused on creating nucleic acid-based and inactivated vaccines. Three of its subsidiaries conducting research at the same time enabled the company to quickly overcome key challenges in vaccine development and production, he added.
Progress in trials
In recent months, China has vowed to make a Chinese vaccine accessible to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. On October 9, China announced that it had joined the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX, an initiative co-led by WHO that aims to promote equitable access to vaccines, especially for vulnerable people and workers in health in developing countries.
Liu Jingzhen, chairman of China National Pharmaceutical Group Co, often called Sinopharm, the parent company of China National Biotec Group, said on Oct. 20 that third-stage clinical trials of its two inactivated candidate vaccines were underway in 10 foreign countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Argentina, Egypt, and Peru.
“The current feedback is very satisfactory and we have received wide recognition from the international community,” Liu said.
Eduardo Spitzer, scientific director of the Elea Phoenix Laboratory in Buenos Aires, told Nature magazine in early October that expectations for a successful Chinese vaccine are high in Argentina. Sinopharm’s large-scale trials in the country began in September and received wide media coverage, he added.
The Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, one of Brazil’s leading biomedical research centers, which is conducting phase three testing of the inactivated vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech, said last week that the Chinese vaccine had been shown to be safe in tests. in which 9,000 volunteers participated.
“The first results of the clinical study carried out in Brazil showed that, among all the vaccines tested in the country, CoronaVac is the safest (and) the one with the best and most promising rates,” the governor of Sao Paulo told reporters. , Joao Doria. vaccine.
Promising prospects
The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, published a comment on Oct. 15 calling the inactivated vaccine created by China’s National Biotec Group “promising,” but said more research is needed to verify the Effects of the vaccine in older and more vulnerable people from a medical point of view. as well as understanding the duration and strength of your protection.
Existing clinical results show that China’s inactivated candidate vaccines are generally safe and relatively better tolerated by recipients compared to other vaccines in late-stage human trials, the journal Nature said in a study in late September.
However, the efficacy of Chinese vaccines is still unknown. Furthermore, assuming that the inactivated vaccines will require two doses per person – the same dose used in clinical trials – it will be a monumental task to distribute them globally, since the supply of syringes, glass vials and related equipment could create a bottleneck. , He said.
“It is highly likely that the inactivated and AdV5-based vaccines produced in China, as well as other candidate vaccines produced in India and elsewhere, will play an important role in meeting the global demand for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.” , notes the study. said.
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