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https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/C...10&pub_date=20220311150000&seq_num=8&si=44594
China's quest for mRNA vaccine hits stumbling block in omicron
Limited effectiveness of conventional shots puts 'zero-COVID' policy at risk
A medical worker walks past a sign at a coronavirus vaccination site in Beijing. © Reuters
SHIN WATANABE, Nikkei staff writerMarch 10, 2022 12:01 JST
DALIAN, China -- China continues to struggle in developing a homegrown mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, with its front-runner failing to reach the market by the end of last year as hoped and now showing disappointing results against the highly infectious omicron variant.
The messenger RNA-based ARCoV vaccine candidate developed by Abogen Biosciences, Walvax Biotechnology and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, now in Phase 3 clinical trials, encountered a snag shown in a paper published last month in the journal Cell Research.
Eight of 11 participants in a Phase 1 early trial who received two doses of ARCoV showed "low" neutralizing antibody activity against omicron. Though the study found that a third dose significantly increased antibody levels in mice, the shot's efficacy against the variant remains in question.
Walvax Vice Chairman Huang Zhen had boasted to Chinese media in July that the vaccine would be out by year-end. But trials continue, and no time frame exists for a release.
China's stumbles in this area could put further strain on the government's strict "zero-COVID" policy as the omicron variant drives a resurgence in cases. The political risk consultancy Eurasia Group in January cited "vaccines with limited effectiveness" as a threat to China's coronavirus strategy.
Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical companies moved quickly on conventional vaccines against COVID-19, rolling out two in early 2021. Both are inactivated vaccines, which use "killed" viruses that cannot infect cells but still can cause an immune response.
Unlike the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, these shots do not need to be kept at ultracold temperatures, enabling China to export them far and wide.
But these inoculations have proven less effective than their mRNA counterparts, eroding trust in Chinese-made shots. A growing number of countries that initially used Chinese vaccines, such as Indonesia, are turning to the U.S. for boosters.
The Pfizer and Moderna inoculations went on the market in late 2020, and are currently being tested against the omicron variant.
Developing mRNA vaccines is no easy task, said Shi Jinjun, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Shi said the companies that succeeded have more than a decade of research behind them, and so were well prepared when the coronavirus emerged.
Abogen was established in 2019 by Ying Bo, a former Moderna scientist. The company raised more than $1 billion through November from sources including the SoftBank Vision Fund. But while investors have high hopes for Abogen, it is unclear whether such a young company can meet these expectations.
Sinopharm, one of China's early COVID-19 vaccine creators, broke ground in September on an mRNA vaccine production facility in Shanghai slated to be completed in September of this year, according to local media. Researchers face heavy pressure to advance mRNA shots to mass production and dispel skepticism of Chinese vaccines.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/C...10&pub_date=20220311150000&seq_num=8&si=44594
China's quest for mRNA vaccine hits stumbling block in omicron
Limited effectiveness of conventional shots puts 'zero-COVID' policy at risk
A medical worker walks past a sign at a coronavirus vaccination site in Beijing. © Reuters
SHIN WATANABE, Nikkei staff writerMarch 10, 2022 12:01 JST
DALIAN, China -- China continues to struggle in developing a homegrown mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, with its front-runner failing to reach the market by the end of last year as hoped and now showing disappointing results against the highly infectious omicron variant.
The messenger RNA-based ARCoV vaccine candidate developed by Abogen Biosciences, Walvax Biotechnology and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, now in Phase 3 clinical trials, encountered a snag shown in a paper published last month in the journal Cell Research.
Eight of 11 participants in a Phase 1 early trial who received two doses of ARCoV showed "low" neutralizing antibody activity against omicron. Though the study found that a third dose significantly increased antibody levels in mice, the shot's efficacy against the variant remains in question.
Walvax Vice Chairman Huang Zhen had boasted to Chinese media in July that the vaccine would be out by year-end. But trials continue, and no time frame exists for a release.
China's stumbles in this area could put further strain on the government's strict "zero-COVID" policy as the omicron variant drives a resurgence in cases. The political risk consultancy Eurasia Group in January cited "vaccines with limited effectiveness" as a threat to China's coronavirus strategy.
Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical companies moved quickly on conventional vaccines against COVID-19, rolling out two in early 2021. Both are inactivated vaccines, which use "killed" viruses that cannot infect cells but still can cause an immune response.
Unlike the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, these shots do not need to be kept at ultracold temperatures, enabling China to export them far and wide.
But these inoculations have proven less effective than their mRNA counterparts, eroding trust in Chinese-made shots. A growing number of countries that initially used Chinese vaccines, such as Indonesia, are turning to the U.S. for boosters.
The Pfizer and Moderna inoculations went on the market in late 2020, and are currently being tested against the omicron variant.
Developing mRNA vaccines is no easy task, said Shi Jinjun, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Shi said the companies that succeeded have more than a decade of research behind them, and so were well prepared when the coronavirus emerged.
Abogen was established in 2019 by Ying Bo, a former Moderna scientist. The company raised more than $1 billion through November from sources including the SoftBank Vision Fund. But while investors have high hopes for Abogen, it is unclear whether such a young company can meet these expectations.
Sinopharm, one of China's early COVID-19 vaccine creators, broke ground in September on an mRNA vaccine production facility in Shanghai slated to be completed in September of this year, according to local media. Researchers face heavy pressure to advance mRNA shots to mass production and dispel skepticism of Chinese vaccines.
