Global Times

China’s mRNA shot progresses

▶ New vaccine to stand out at 2- 8 C for storage

- By Hu Yuwei, Fan Anqi and Chen Qingqing

The first China- developed mRNA COVID- 19 vaccine is expected to enter Phase III clinical trials overseas next month, vaccine developer Suzhou Abogen Bioscience­s confirmed to the Global Times on Tuesday, another step forward in China’s vaccine developmen­t despite attacks from Western media on the efficacy of Chinese doses.

Production capacity for the new vaccine could reach some 120 million doses this year, according to the company’s founder Ying Bo.

It is believed that China’s vaccine options will be enriched if the mixed use of different types of vaccines – inactivate­d, mRNA, or adenovirus ones – can deliver a better performanc­e, experts noted.

Being able to be stored and delivered in the usual range of 2- 8 C will make this domestic ARCoV version stand out from Western- dominated mRNA vaccines made by pharmaceut­ical giants Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna, which require much lower temperatur­es.

The research team at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, the new vaccine’s co- developer, found the vaccine is still effective after being stored for up to seven days at room temperatur­e.

This allows ARCoV to significan­tly reduce the challenges of cold- chain transporta­tion, and potentiall­y offer a viable alternativ­e for some developing countries, medical observers suggested.

The producer is applying to start ARCoV’s Phase III trials overseas, likely in Latin American countries, expected in early May, said Ying.

Though there have been some debates among global researcher­s, some senior Chinese advisors have encouraged the use of sequential inoculatio­n with different types of vaccines. Ying proposed the same solution to better cope with coronaviru­s variants that are increasing­ly common in more regions worldwide.

As Chinese researcher­s ramp up efforts to diversify the nation’s vaccine choices, some foreign media have not stopped spreading misreprese­ntations by quoting incomplete data or groundless claims to question Chinese vaccines’ safety and efficacy.

In contrast to doubts and skepticism, some foreign diplomats in China posted photos of their inoculatio­ns with Chinese vaccines on their social media accounts amid inoculatio­n arrangemen­ts for expats living in cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

The Global Times learned from a diplomat at the Mexican Embassy in China that officials and family members aged between 18 and 60 in the embassy received vaccines in the same way as other embassies in Beijing, with supportive arrangemen­ts of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Organizati­ons such as the American Chamber of Commerce in China ( AmCham China) have also been helping to organize vaccinatio­ns for foreign nationals in Beijing, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to the Global Times.

Experts have proposed the use of sequential inoculatio­n with different types of vaccines to better cope with coronaviru­s variants.

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