BEIJING | The Chinese military has authorized the use in its ranks of a vaccine against COVID-19, jointly designed by a military research institute and a pharmaceutical company, the company said on Monday.
• Read also: All developments of the coronavirus pandemic
Laboratories around the world are vying for a cure for the new coronavirus, which was first detected in late 2019 in China and has already claimed more than 500,000 lives worldwide.
About half of the 17 vaccines currently in clinical trials (i.e. in humans) are being developed by Chinese laboratories or institutes, according to information from the World Health Organization (WHO) ).
The Chinese company CanSinoBIO is collaborating with the Military Academy of Medical Sciences on one of the most advanced COVID-19 vaccines currently available.
“Data from clinical trials has shown a good safety profile and high levels of humoral and cellular immune response,” the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where it is listed.
She says the Central Military Commission, the institution to which the Chinese military is subject, gave the green light on June 25 to use the vaccine on the military.
It is not immediately clear whether this authorization involves a vaccination campaign within the Chinese army, which has some two million members. The Ministry of Defense did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
CanSinoBIO also stressed in its press release that it cannot yet guarantee that its vaccine will be marketed to the general public.
According to the latest WHO score, in addition to the 17 vaccines against COVID-19 tested in humans, 132 others are currently in the preclinical evaluation phase.
None have yet received authorization to be marketed.
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