Sinovac Biotech has received emergency use approval for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, under a programme in China to vaccinate high-risk groups, according to Reuters citing a person familiar with the matter.

Iran Press/ Asia: The company started developing the inactivated vaccine against COVID-19 in January this year in alliance with academic research institutes in China.

In preclinical studies, CoronaVac was found to be safe and provided protection to rhesus macaques monkeys. Findings were published in Science journal.

Sinovac reported positive preliminary data from the Phase I/II clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in June this year. Results from the randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled trials demonstrated favourable immunogenicity and safety profiles.

Investigators did not report any severe adverse event in Phase I or Phase II trials. In the Phase II trial, the vaccine triggered neutralising antibodies 14 days following the vaccination with a 0,14 day schedule.

Earlier this month, state-owned pharmaceutical company China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG) also announced emergency use approval of one of its COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

CNBG has two vaccine candidates in Phase III trials and did not specify which of its candidates secured the emergency use approval.

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