Chinese COVID-19 vaccine to begin mass output this year
A
front-running COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed in China is expected
to be available as soon as the end of this year, according to a
The vaccine has
completed phase II testing and may be ready for the market at the end of this
year or early next year, said the report.
The
production line for the vaccine will be fully disinfected and closed in
preparation for output to start Saturday, and will have a full manufacturing
capacity of 100 million-120 million vaccines each year.
Drugmakers
are racing to develop a cure for the contagion that has so far killed at least
365,000 people. More than 100 vaccines for the virus are being developed
globally, but only a handful have made it to the crucial and final human
clinical trial stage, with Chinese scientists leading the way.
In
total, five vaccines developed by Chinese companies are being tested on humans,
the most in any country.
President Xi Jinping has promised to share
any successful vaccine globally, but Chinese companies still face challenges.
Phase III testing needs to be done in a place where the coronavirus is still
spreading rapidly, and China’s cases have dwindled to a handful each day. Also,
an effective vaccine needs massive production capabilities in order to meet
global distribution demands.