China’s biopharmaceutical company CanSino which has developed a vaccine against Covid-19 got a patent approval from the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) as the first patent for a COVID-19 vaccine in China.
This vaccine named Ad5-nCoV, co-developed by CanSino Biologics and the Military Scientific Institute, and began to be used in late June in the Chinese Army after discovering a highly efficient neutralizing monoclonal antibody by a team led by researcher Chen Wei.
The research results published at the end of July in the Lancet, had confirmed that the vaccine based on the second phase of clinical trials is safe and induces an immune response against the coronavirus. According to the patent, the vaccine has a “good immune response in mice and rodents, and it can induce the body to produce strong cellular and immune response in a short time”.
However, it worth noted that the patent doesn't mean the vaccine is ready for widespread use. Cansino's vaccine still must complete its clinical trials phase III and then be approved in a separate 'marketing approval' process in China that confirms the vaccine is safe and effective for widespread use.
Saudi Arabia announced on August 9 to move forward to launch Phase 3 clinical trials using the CanSino Biologics vaccine in the country. The vaccine supposed to be tested on roughly 5,000 Saudi Arabia citizens. As reported in Reuters recently, the CanSino is also in talks with Russia, Brazil, and Chile to launch more Phase 3 clinical trials.
After this success, the SanCino's stock jumped 14% on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Securing a patent is an important step in bringing a vaccine to the market. In this regard, Cansino has a leg up on its peers, even as its trails are still in the clinical testing of its candidate.
