Chinese authorities have approved the clinical trials on the efficacy and safety of domestic mRNA booster for inactivated vaccines, according to media reports on Wednesday.
The project has been approved by the disease control and prevention center of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It will focus on people aged 18 and above who have been inoculated with two inactivated vaccine shots, according to the announcement on the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The mRNA candidate shot to be used in the trials is called ARCoVax, which was jointly developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Suzhou Abogen and Yunnan Walvax Biotechnology Co, media confirmed on Wednesday.
Zhang Li, spokesperson from Walvax, said that the project is part of the Phase III clinical trials of ARCoVax, which is being conducted both in Guangxi and abroad, including Mexico and Indonesia.
On Saturday, Walvax's partner Suzhou Abogen already informed that their mRNA vaccine production line located in an industry park in Suzhou had obtained official authorization. The facility is able to produce 40 million shots per year.
The storage costs of this vaccine are lower than imported shots as it comes in a single injection in one package and can be stored at room temperature for a week or at 4 C for an extended time making it easier to use.
