CanSino’s recombinant COVID-19 vaccine approved as special military drug

Chinese biopharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics Inc announced on Monday that a recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine (Ad5-nCoV) the company developed with a military research team has received special one-year military drug approval.

The approval for the military use of Ad5-nCoV was granted by the Health Bureau of the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission

on Thursday, for one year, the company said on Monday. Ad5-nCoV is limited to military use and cannot be expanded to a broader vaccination range without the approval of the Logistics Support Department, the statement said.

Ad5-nCoV is being jointly developed by CanSino and a team led by military infectious disease expert Chen Wei from the Institute of Biotechnology under the Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

The vaccine was approved for clinical trials in March.

Phase one and two have been conducted in China, with phase two trials were unveiled on June 11, 2020, according to CanSino. Data showed a good safety profile and high levels of humoral and cellular immune responses. The clinical results indicate Ad5-nCoV has the potential to prevent diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2. According to regulations of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) covering drugs, special military drugs are those that the military uses to prevent and treat war injuries and diseases in special environments.

Such drugs are limited to military use. Local medical institutes have to obtain the approval of local provincial-level governments and the military logistics support department to use such drugs.

Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University of the PLA, said on Monday that the approval process for Ad5-nCoV to become a special military drug followed the normal procedures.

The move is mainly intended to encourage and promote

COVID-19 vaccine research and development (R&D) amid the current tough pandemic situation, according to Li.

Global infections reached 10,180,816 as of press time after the number topped 10 million on Sunday.

Li noted that the status of “special military drug” would not affect the normal R&D procedure and marketing process of the vaccine.