Chinese Company CanSino Wants Emergency Approval For COVID-19 Vaccine In Other Countries

Chinese pharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics Inc. is looking to get emergency approval for a COVID-19 vaccine in several countries before it completes large scale clinical trials, a senior executive told The Wall Street Journal.

CanSino told the Journal that it already is in talks with Pakistan and some countries in Latin America, as well as some developed nations, but no countries have agreed to give the vaccine emergency approval.

China’s military, however, has already approved CanSino’s vaccine before Phase 3 trials have been conducted. That would allow for the vaccine to get rolled out to millions of people to increase knowledge about its effectiveness and safety, Pierre Morgon, senior vice president for international business at the company, told the WSJ.

“It helps to build the safety database and certainly build the confidence in the fact that the vaccine is safe. If, in the meantime, if it is demonstrated as being effective in the Phase 3 trials, then it might be an accelerator for future contracts for vaccine supply,” Morgon said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has warned against giving emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine. He also said that he was doubtful that the U.S. would use a Chinese or Russian COVID-19 vaccine based on its limited testing.

Russia approved a COVID-19 vaccine earlier in August, which raised doubts about its safety and effectiveness based on the speed it was delivered. Russia defended the quick turnaround of its COVID-9 vaccine, saying that it was in developing the drug for at least six years, CNBC reported.

CanSino developed its COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with the Chinese Military Academy of Medical Science.

China, where the coronavirus outbreak originated, has over 89,800 positive coronavirus cases, with over 4,700 COVID-19 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. In comparison, the U.S. has reported over 5.8 million positive cases of the coronavirus, with over 180,000 COVID-19 related deaths, according to data from the university.