Sinovac launches late-stage trial for potential Covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia
[JAKARTA] China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd launched on Tuesday a late-stage human trial involving as many as 1,620 patients in Indonesia for a Covid-19 vaccine candidate that it is developing with Indonesian state-owned peer Bio Farma.
The candidate, known as CoronaVac and previously PiCoVacc, is among few potential vaccines that have entered late-stage trials for a large-scale study to gather proof of efficacy for regulatory approval.
CoronaVac is already undergoing a late-stage trial in Brazil slated for as many as 9,000 people.
Its Indonesia trial comes as Southeast Asia's most populous country grapples with spiking infection numbers, with over 127,000 cases recorded as of Tuesday. The trial has so far recruited 1,215 people and will last six months.
A ceremony for the launch on Tuesday in Bandung, West Java, was attended by Indonesia's President Joko Widodo.
"The threat of Covid-19 will not subside until a vaccine is given to all the people," Mr Widodo said.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Asean Business
Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies.
Sinovac expects to also test the vaccine candidate in Bangladesh.
Separately, Sinovac late on Monday released details from a mid-stage, or Phase 2, study in which it said the vaccine candidate appeared to be safe and induced detectable antibody-based immune responses in subjects.
In the Phase 2 clinical trial involving 600 participants in China, the candidate did not cause any serious side effect and the rate of fever was relatively low compared with other Covid-19 candidates, the paper showed ahead of peer review.
Sinovac has to test its vaccine abroad because China is no longer a satisfactory site for late-stage trials due to the low number of new infection cases.
REUTERS
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
When US diplomats visit China, meal choices are about more than taste buds
China’s first-quarter industrial profits rise at slower pace
Laid-back vibe, stunning beaches, rich cuisine and low cost of living lure more expat retirees to Malaysia
Vietnam tycoon appeals against US$27 billion fraud death sentence
US announces new restrictions on firearm exports
Central banks will probably only cut half as much as they hiked