Vaccines for Omicron set for clinical trials

Two homegrown Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech have been approved for clinical trials by China’s top drug regulator, the two companies said on April 26.

If the trial proceeds successfully, the experimental vaccine from Sinopharm will likely be used as a third or fourth booster shot for fully vaccinated people age 18 and older, the company said.

China National Biotech Group, a subsidiary of Sinopharm, said in a statement released on its website that the vaccine was already cleared for clinical trials in Hong Kong on April 13.

CNBG is the developer behind two vaccines widely used in China and worldwide. It began research into a vaccine targeting the Omicron variant in early December.