In the midst of global pharmaceutical giants racing to come up with a vaccine for the novel Coronavirus, Beijing-based China National Biotec Group Co. has received regulatory approval to test its potential COVID-19 vaccine in the United Arab Emirates.
The Chinese state-owned vaccine developer recently posted the update on its WeChat account. As per the update, CNBG is now authorised to conduct Phase III trials for its COVID-19 vaccine in the Middle Eastern country.
Although the company did not reveal much details about the Phase-III trials, it did inform of a partnership with Abu Dhabi-based G42.?
CNBG will be collaborating with the artificial intelligence and cloud computing firm to conduct the trial and produce the vaccine locally once the trials are successful.
Chinese pharmaceutical majors in pursuit of the vaccine are facing a newfound problem with the trial phases. As per a report by Bloomberg, Chinese companies which have reached the final stage of testing are looking for places with active virus outbreaks.
Since the number of remaining cases in China is low, conducting trials of a potential vaccine in the region is not being deemed feasible. With hundreds of new Covid-19 cases being registered everyday, UAE seems to be an appropriate location for such tests.
Bloomberg confirms that CNBG is the first Chinese vaccine developer to reach the Phase III trial of its vaccine candidate. With this, it also becomes one of the first in the world to receive the approval for the final stage testing on humans.
The two-part vaccine developed by CNBG has been tested among some 2,000 people in phase I and II trials conducted in China. While one of the vaccines has been found to be generally safe, data from the other one will be revealed by the firm on June 28.?
Employees of CNBG, including its senior executives and that of its parent company, have already been administered with the vaccine shots.
Shots of CNBG vaccine are also being given to employees of Chinese state-run companies if they are traveling overseas for work or if they live in high-risk areas with a chance of a fresh virus outbreak.
Apart from CNBG,?Johnson & Johnson will also be starting the final testing of its Covid-19 vaccine in July, moving up its schedule for the test by a considerable two months.?
Moderna Inc is another pharma giant ready for the Phase III trials of its vaccine candidate starting July.