China expands collaboration to develop COVID-19 vaccine

Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced that it will expand its collaboration with Shanghai Zerun Biotechnology and its parent company Walvax Biotechnology, a public company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to advance the development of a COVID-19 variant vaccine. CEPI will invest up to an additional $8.15 million to support a Phase I/II clinical trial in Mali which will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of Zerun Bio’s prototype and multi-variant vaccine candidates. This will be the first clinical trial of the multi-variant vaccine, which has the potential to provide protection against a broad range of COVID-19 variants. Zerun Bio’s commercialisation plant for COVID-19 vaccines in Daxing District, Beijing, China, is expected to be put into use in 2022, enabling Zerun Bio to produce commercial volumes of COVID-19 vaccine.