Medicosnext
China has been among the first in the world to effectively stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the country, and because of this, the government has been able to take its time over the development of a vaccine. This is in contrast to Western and other nations, where the development of a vaccine has been given the highest priority due to their failure in containing the pandemic. Nonetheless, China hasn’t been slack, either, in developing effective vaccines, with companies like CanSino Biologics, Sinovac, Sinopharm, CNBG (China National Biotec Group), and ZFLLogkema at the forefront in this effort. In fact, CanSino was the world’s first company to start a COVID-19 vaccine trial, in Wuhan, in March, 2020. Now, since there are so few cases of COVID-19 in China, the vaccine makers have had to conduct tests overseas. Of these, five are currently in phase 3 trials in 16 countries worldwide, including in Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.
CNBG started trials of its vaccine in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and UAE on July16 with 45,500 participants, in Peru on September 10 with 6000, in Argentina on September 16 with 3000, and in Morocco on October 13 with 600. CanSino started trials in Russia, Mexico, and Pakistan on September 11 with 500 participants, and in Argentina and Chile, on September 15 with 40,000 participants. Sinovac began its trials on July 16 in Brazil with 13,060 participants, in Indonesia on August 10 with 600, and in Turkey on September 14 with 15,000.
While CanSino has developed its vaccine using a harmless virus known as adenovirus 5, CNBG, Sinovac, and Sinopharm have used the whole, “killed” virus, where the virus is inactivated with a chemical and mixed with an adjuvant. Since they contain the full set of viral proteins, theoretically speaking, such vaccines produce broader antibody and T cell responses, and additionally they can be stored at ordinary refrigeration, unlike mRNA vaccines that have to be stored at subzero temperatures. This certainly is a big advantage as far as transportation and distribution are concerned.
CanSino received authorization in June to vaccinate the military in China, and CNBG, Sinovac, and Sinopharm have also received authorization to vaccinate large populations in China. Additionally, Sinopharm’s two vaccines have been approved in the UAE for emergency use. CanSino has an order of 35 million doses of its vaccine from Mexico, while the UAE will jointly produce with CNBG 100 million doses in 2021. CNBG plans to produce more than one billion doses in 2021. Sinovac will provide 46 million doses of its vaccine to Brazil and 50 million doses to Turkey. The company also has a deal with Indonesia to supply 40 million doses of vaccine bulk, which will be packed locally into little vials.
References:
1. China Briefing, December 3, 2020,
2. The Conversation, December 10, 2020,
