Full Press Release Details
Announces First Animal Study Results of Vaccine Against COVID-19
Published in SCIENCE
--- Inactivated vaccine for SARS-CoV-2
shows good safety and efficacy on
BEIJING, China, May 6,
2020 /Business Wire/ -- Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SVA) ("Sinovac" or the "Company"), a leading provider
of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today the publication of the preclinical study on animals for its vaccine candidate
against COVID-19. This is the first challenge study of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate on animals to prove that the vaccine candidate
is safe and provides protection to rhesus macaques. The paper, "Rapid development
of an inactivated vaccine for SARS-CoV-2," is currently available online at Science magazine's website at https://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abc1932.
"Our study shows that our
inactivated vaccine candidate induced SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies in mice, rats, and non-human primates, specifically
the rhesus macaque. In fact, the results showed that our vaccine candidate offered safe and complete protection in rhesus macaques
against SARS-CoV-2 strains," commented Mr. Weidong Yin, Chairman, President, and CEO of Sinovac.
As announced previously, Sinovac's
work on developing a vaccine against COVID-19 began in January 2020 in partnership with leading academic research institutes in
China. The Company received approval in April to conduct phase I/II studies on its inactivated vaccine candidate against COVID-19
in China. The Company has commenced the phase I trial on 144 healthy adults aged 18-59 years.
"Our preclinical results suggest
a path forward for the clinical development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for use in humans. As we begin our phase I trials, we will
also accelerate the progress of our research in order to support the worldwide fight against COVID-19. Sinovac remains committed
to developing vaccines for global use," Mr. Yin concluded.
The preclinical paper
is jointly authored by researchers from Sinovac, the Institutes of Laboratory Animal Sciences of China Academy of Medical Science,
the Center of Disease Control and Prevention of Zhejiang Province, the Institute of Biophysics of Chinese Academy of Sciences,
the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control in China, and the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention
of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is a China-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the research, development, manufacturing
and commercialization of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases. Sinovac's product portfolio includes vaccines
against enterovirus71 (EV71), hepatitis A and B, seasonal influenza, H5N1 pandemic influenza (avian flu), H1N1 influenza (swine
flu), varicella vaccine and mumps. Healive, the hepatitis A vaccine manufactured by the Company, has passed the assessment
under WHO prequalification procedures in 2017. The EV71 vaccine, an innovative vaccine developed by Sinovac against hand foot
and mouth disease caused by EV71, was commercialized in China in 2016. In 2009, Sinovac was the first company worldwide to
receive approval for its H1N1 influenza vaccine, which it has supplied to the Chinese Government's vaccination campaign and
stockpiling program. The Company is also the only supplier of the H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccine to the Chinese Government's
stockpiling program. The Company is developing a number of new products including a Sabin-strain inactivated polio vaccine,
pneumococcal polysaccharides vaccine, a quadrivalent influenza vaccine and a SARS-CoV-2 (commonly referred to as COVID-19)
vaccine. Sinovac primarily sells its vaccines in China, while also exploring growth opportunities in international markets.
The Company is registering its products in over 30 countries outside of China. For more information please see the Company's
website at www.sinovac.com.
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the effects of natural disasters, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments,
such as SARS-CoV-2 (commonly referred to as COVID-19), and adverse general economic conditions in China, the United States and
elsewhere. These risks and other factors include those listed under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our Annual Report
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