Revolutionary mRNA vaccines made by Chinese firms will be ready to hit market by end of year, says industry chief
- Made in China jabs using genetic technology could soon be available, while BioNTech’s Chinese partner is seeking approval to use the vaccine on the mainland
- The drugs that use messenger RNA to stimulate the immune system reported high efficacy rates following clinical trials
China is on course to produce its own version of the revolutionary new vaccines that use genetic technology to stimulate the immune system by the end of the year, according to a senior industry figure.
The two available mRNA vaccines designed to tackle Covid-19 – produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech – have a higher efficacy rate than those produced using other forms of technology.
“We fully expect that there is a high possibility that a domestic mRNA vaccine will hit the market by this year,” said Feng Duojia, president of the China Association of Vaccines.
“We increasingly feel that we must master the core theories and technologies … because no one can help our country solve all the immunisation problems once a global public health crisis like Covid-19 breaks out. We must have a long-term strategy,” he added.
A senior executive with Walvax, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said there would be uncertainties concerning regulatory approval for product launch.
Feng said an mRNA vaccine jointly developed by the Academy of Military Science (AMS), Walvax Biotechnology and Suzhou Abogen Biosciences, has completed its phase 1 and 2 human trials with “satisfactory” results. He continued that plans for phase 3 trials in multiple sites overseas were under way and expectations were “very good”.