Potential COVID-19 vaccine from China shows promise in trials

BEIJING; 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.

                                              
The vaccine candidate= called BBIBP-CorV, induced high-level neutralising 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.

BBIBP-CorV; developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Products affiliated to state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group  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.

As well as appearing safe and able to generate an immune response in animals, BBIBP-CorV did not appear to trigger antibodies that could boost the infection ' a phenomenon known as antibody-dependent enhancement  =the researchers said, although this does not necessarily guarantee ADE won’t occur in human tests.

Apart from BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm, which has invested 1 billion yuan {$141.40 million} in vaccine projects, is testing in humans another vaccine candidate developed by its Wuhan-based unit. The two shots have been given to more than 2,000 people in clinical trials.