Abu Dhabi: According to Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the Chinese firm has launched its phase-3 clinical trial for covid-19 in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.
The inactivated forms of the virus have been used to develop the vaccine.
The state broadcaster CGTN reported this establishment to be the first Chinese origin company to carry out a clinical trial of the covid-19 vaccine in a foreign country.
During its first and second phases of the clinical trial, the vaccine proved to be functioning well with favorable results pertaining to both it’s efficiency and safety. This Chinese made vaccine is being developed by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products under CNBG, which is affiliated to Sinopharm.
To check it’s efficacy even further, the Chinese body CNBG is trying to fetch international cooperation and support by promoting the clinical trial of the vaccine for its phase-3.
Chinese experts said that the overseas clinical trial is being conducted as there aren’t enough covid-19 positive cases in China presently. Moreover, phase-3 requires more patients to be tested on than the current number there.
It is rapidly attaining the cooperation of various countries and has received the same already from many companies, institutions and research firms across the world.
The first phase of the clinical trial had ended in the last week of March, while the second phase started on April 12th.
A total of 96 persons in three age groups hadreceived the vaccine in the first phase of clinical trial on April 23rd which showed promising results.
Few other Chinese companies too are attempting to trial vaccines in foreign countries as they lack patients in their own. These include Clover Biopharmaceuticals, whose shots have been given to volunteers in Australia during an initial early study, and Sinovac Biotech, which is anticipated to begin a Phase 3 trial in Brazil with 9,000 participants.
