Tianjin-based vaccine producer, CanSino Biologics, has won patent approval for its Ad5-nCOV vaccine candidate. The Covid-19 vaccine was approved in Beijing on 11 August, Chinese state-owned media reported citing documents released by China’s Intellectual Property Administration.
The Ad5-nCOV candidate was co-developed by CanSino Biologics and a team of infectious disease experts, led by Chen Wei, from the national military.
CanSino said the approval of the patent shows the vaccine’s efficacy, safety, ownership of intellectual property rights (IPR) and creativity.
Xu Xinming, an IPR lawyer from Beijing, said for a patent to be issued, the candidate must demonstrate originality and creativity, in essence, be a fundamentally new drug.
Tao Lina, a Shanghai-based expert on vaccines, said having a patent approved would boost confidence in Chinese-made vaccines.
The recombinant adenovirus ad5-nCOV vaccine, while uniquely altered to tackle the Covid pandemic, was developed from an existing viral vector technology, developed by CanSino, which was successfully used in the Ebola epidemic.
CanSino becomes the fourth Chinese vaccine in late-stage or further trials. Moderna and Oxford trials are the only non-Chinese vaccines in late-stage trials.
Currently, CanSino is conducting trials in Saudi Arabia and is in talks with two South American nations, Brazil and Chile. According to the Saudi media outlet, SPA, the cities of Mecca, Riyad and Dammam are all preparing to trial the vaccine alongside placebos.
https://www.ft.com/content/2c3ae017-6c09-4f7e-93b8-f8039fe79a6c
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