China-made mRNA COVID-19 vaccine starts trial production

SHANGHAI: China's CanSino Biologics has entered the "test production phase" for its COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine, the company said in a post on its social media account late on Thursday (Jan 5).

The vaccine, known as CS-2034, targets new Omicron variants of the virus, which are responsible for the vast majority of infections that have swept across China since the country began dismantling strict COVID-19 curbs last month.

Until now, China has relied on nine domestically-developed COVID-19 vaccines approved for use, including inactivated vaccines, but none have been adapted to target the highly-transmissible Omicron variant and its offshoots that are currently in circulation.

The CanSino booster vaccine is one of China's first home-grown potential vaccines based on mRNA technology similar to that employed in vaccines produced internationally by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

On Thursday, CanSino also reported "positive" interim data from a mid-stage clinical trial in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

According to CanSino, the first phase of its mRNA vaccine production could produce 100 million doses.