CanSino's COVID-19 vaccine candidate gets first patent; Phase III trials begin in Russia

The Chinese pharmaceutical firm, CanSino Biologics, has reportedly started a late-stage trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Russia. According to international media reports, the Ad5-nCoV, which has already been approved for use by China’s military, is further also set to begin late-stage trials in Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the potential coronavirus vaccine candidate has reportedly won a patent approval from Beijing. 

It was last month that the company had announced that it was in talks with several countries - Saudi Arabia, Russia, Brazil and Chile - to launch the Phase III trials. Apart from CanSino Biologics, other Chinese firms, including Sinovac Biotech Ltd and China National Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (Sinopharm), are testing candidates overseas as China has become less conducive for Phase III trials due to its small number of new coronavirus cases. The last-stage trials is generally required for regulatory approval to distribute a vaccine for public use.

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As per reports, Russia’s state register for clinical trials showed a Phase III study expected to recruit 625 volunteers across eight medical institutes to test the safety and effectiveness of Ad5-nCoV. The vaccine reportedly uses adenovirus to carry antigen from coronavirus into human cells, an approach similar to that of Ad5-nCoV.

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Initial phases showed potential 

Earlier, Qiu Dongxu, executive director and co-founder of CanSino, had said that the firm plans to recruit 40,000 participants, across countries, for the Phase III trial. The vaccine candidate, Ad5-nCoV, has been jointly developed by CanSino and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology in the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. According to media reports, both the initial phases of clinical testing of the candidate vaccine has displayed its potential of preventing COVID-19.

Ad5-nCov was the first COVID-19 vaccine candidate in China to go ahead with human testing in March but has been lagging in trial progress since two other experimental vaccines developed by Sinovac Biotech and a unit of Sinopharm had already been approved for Phase III trials.

(Image: Rep/Unsplash) 

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