China’s race for a Covid-19 vaccine hits a hurdle – no outbreak at home

Various Chinese pharma firms are working on a way to inoculate against the new coronavirus but are struggling to test the potential vaccines under real conditions as the epidemic wanes at home

Looking overseas is one option but brings its own complications

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The search for a vaccine can take years or even decades. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00am, 1 May 2020Updated: 6:27am, 1 May 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic quickly swept across the continents, medical researchers around the world set off at an unprecedented pace to try to find drugs and vaccines to fight the new disease.

A process that usually takes years or even decades of laboratory work and tests has been fast-tracked to months in a rush to stop a virus that has infected more than 3 million people.

Nine vaccine candidates have entered human trials and more than 70 others are under preclinical studies. China was quickly into this global effort, with five of those nine vaccines developed by domestic companies.

On the pharmaceutical front, a trial in the United States of experimental antiviral drug remdesivir made by US-based Gilead Sciences showed results on Wednesday that might lead to the treatment receiving emergency authorisation by the Food and Drug Administration. But in China, two trials of the medication that started in February ran into difficulties due to a lack of patients as the outbreak waned in the country.

Vaccine development in China is facing a similar obstacle – without an outbreak it was almost impossible to proceed with the third and final phase of human trials, industry insiders said. The third phase usually involves more than 1,000 volunteers receiving the treatment and then compared with a placebo group in an area the disease is prevalent. It is the most important data to prove the vaccine is safe, effective and highly protective.