Covid-19 vaccine from China shows promise in human trials

Beijing, June 28 (IANS) A Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by a Beijing unit of China National Biotec Group (CNBG) has shown positive results in early human trials, the company said on Sunday.

According to the company, all 1,120 volunteers in the phase-1 and phase-2 clinical trials produced high-titer antibodies against Covid-19 after accepting two doses of the vaccine, the Global Times reported.

The clinical trials which started on April 27 in Shangqiu county in China’s Henan province have shown the vaccine to be effective and safe, said CNBG.

The trials were designed as randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled studies.

This is not the first Covid-19 vaccine candidate from CNBG, which is affiliated to the state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).

In the middle of this month, another institute under CNBG in Wuhan announced the results of phase-1 and Phase-2 clinical trials of an inactivated Covid-19 vaccine candidate it developed.

These trials, which started on April 12, also involved 1,120 volunteers and the results revealed a good safety record, with no cases of severe adverse effects found in the clinical trials.

CNBG on June 23 announced an agreement with authorities in the United Arab Emirates to start phase-3 clinical trials for inactivated vaccine candidates.

It is not clear which of CNBG’s Covid-19 vaccine candidates will be tested in the phase-3 trial in the UAE.

–IANS

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