Beijing - China has given the go-ahead
for researchers to begin human safety tests of an experimental
coronavirus vaccine in the race to develop a shot against the
Covid-19 epidemic that has killed more than 7,000 people
worldwide.
Researchers at China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences - affiliated to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)
- received approval to launch early-stage clinical trials of the
potential vaccine starting this week, the ruling Communist
Party's People's Daily reported on Tuesday.
Scientists in the United States said on Monday that clinical
trials had begun for a vaccine developed by its National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the US biotech firm Moderna.
Details in the Chinese clinical trial registration database
show that a "Phase 1" test that will examine whether
experimental shot is safe in humans aims to recruit 108 healthy
people to take part between March 16 and December 31.
The trial will be conducted by China's Academy of Military
Medical Sciences and the Hong Kong-listed biotech firm CanSino
Biologics, the database showed.
Experts at the World Health Organization say they do not
expect any fully tested and approved vaccine to reach the market
until the middle of next year.