CHINESE VACCINE VS COVID-19 SHOWS PROMISE IN ANIMAL TESTS

A potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Chinese researchers showed promise in trials in monkeys, triggering antibodies and raising no safety issues, researchers said, and a human trial with more than 1,000 participants is under way, Roxanne Liu and Tony Munroe reported for Reuters on June 10, 2020.

The vaccine candidate, called BBIBP-CorV, induced high-level neutralizing antibodies that can block the virus from infecting cells in monkeys, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits, researchers said in a paper published in online by the medical journal Cell on Saturday, June 6. “These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial,” the researchers said in the paper.

BBIBP-CorV, developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Products affiliated to state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), is among five candidates China is testing in humans.

More than 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines are in various stages of development around the world. Among front runners currently in human trials are being developed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNtech, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Sanofi and China’s CanSino Biologics.