China Approves CanSinoBIO's mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine for Clinical Trials

• CanSino Biologics Inc. (CanSinoBIO) has received approval from China's medical products regulator to begin clinical trials for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
• Pre-clinical studies suggest the CanSinoBIO mRNA vaccine elicits high levels of neutralizing antibodies against multiple variants, including Omicron.
• China, with approximately 88% of its population vaccinated, is advancing domestically developed mRNA vaccine candidates, as foreign-made mRNA vaccines are yet to be approved.

CanSino Biologics Inc. (CanSinoBIO) has announced that its messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been approved by China's National Medical Products Administration to proceed with clinical trials. This development marks a significant step in China's efforts to bolster its domestic vaccine arsenal amid the ongoing pandemic.

Unlike many other major countries, China has yet to approve any foreign-made mRNA vaccines, such as those produced by Pfizer-BioNTech. With a large percentage of its population (around 88%) already vaccinated, China is focusing on developing its own mRNA vaccine candidates.

CanSinoBIO stated in a press release that pre-clinical studies of their mRNA vaccine candidate demonstrated its ability to elicit high levels of neutralizing antibodies against multiple variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the Omicron variant. This suggests a potentially broad spectrum of protection against emerging variants.

CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Limited also announced that its mRNA COVID vaccine candidate, SYS6006, has been cleared to begin clinical trials by China’s National Medical Products Administration.