COVID-19 vaccine candidate approved for military use in China

According to CNBG, which is affiliated to the state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), this was the second vaccine candidate from the firm to produce promising results in a clinical trial. He has dismissed the severity of the disease and has shown indifference to the rising death toll while also pushing treatment using an unproven anti-malaria drug.

The Ad5-nCoV is one of the eight vaccine candidates being developed by Chinese companies and researchers approved to be moved into human trials for the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Swaminathan said, "at the moment, we do not have a proven vaccine but if we are lucky, there will be one or two successful candidates before the end of this year".

"The Ad5-nCoV is now limited to military use only and its use can not be expanded to a broader vaccination range without the approval of the Logistics Support Department", CanSino said, referring to the Central Military Commission department which approved the military use of the vaccine.

The company did not reveal to Reuters whether the inoculation of the vaccine candidate is mandatory or optional, citing commercial secrets.

World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said the vaccine for coronavirus will be ready in another 12-18 months.

Once the vaccine proves its efficacy, 70 million additional doses will be locally produced at Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, known as Fiocruz, and its Bio-Manguinhos immunology institute at the cost of US$160 million.

But CanSino said that it can not guarantee that the vaccine, which has undergone both phase one and two clinical trials in China, will ultimately be commercialised.

China's military has approved a coronavirus vaccine for use within its ranks. "We are also rolling out large scale screening to key regions and key populations (of the city) and improve our capability of testing", said Zhang, adding that Beijing was also receiving medical support from other provinces.

Of the 10 vaccines that are at the stage of human trials, six are Chinese.

"They have advanced into Phase 2 trials and are planning Phase 3 in many countries".

This is the CanSino Biologics-Beijing Institute of Biotechnology product using the "non-replicating viral vector" design.