China's CanSino confident its mRNA COVID vaccine as good as Moderna, Pfizer shots (updated)

Cansino Biologics

03/02/2023 16:34

(Adds details)
    By Natalie  Grover and Sophie Yu
       LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - CanSino Biologics  6185.HK 
Chief Executive Yu Xuefeng said on Friday he was  confident his
company's experimental COVID-19 vaccine using messenger RNA
(mRNA) technology was as good as shots from Moderna and
Pfizer-BioNTech.
    As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves in China after the country
abandoned its zero-COVID policy in December, domestic companies
like CanSino are racing to develop mRNA COVID vaccines.  
    The country - which experienced a wave of infections across
its 1.4 billion population after the sudden relaxation of COVID
restrictions - has so far declined to use mRNA vaccines from
abroad, and has yet to approve a domestic one that uses the
technology.
     Approved vaccines in China are widely considered less
effective than the Moderna Inc  MRNA.O  and Pfizer Inc-BioNTech
SE  PFE.N   22UAy.DE  mRNA shots.
     Yu acknowledged that it was not possible to directly test
the CanSino vaccine versus the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech shots
in a head-to-head trial because they were not available in
China.
    "But just based on published data...I'm confident our
product is as good as the already launched mRNA vaccines," he
told Reuters in an interview.
    In January, CanSino reported "positive" interim data from
its experimental COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine, CS-2034, in a
mid-stage clinical trial. 
    When asked whether Chinese authorities were keen to have a
homegrown mRNA vaccine, Yu said there was not much public
information on what was going on.  
    "But I will say, from the technology perspective, any
product - as long as you meet the regulatory requirements -
there's no reason to not allow to enter into the market."
    CanSino is currently in discussion with Chinese regulators
around the protocol for a late-stage study for CS-2034 - and the
trial will definitely be conducted this year, Yu said. 
    If the vaccine is approved, the company is working on ways
to reduce the costs of making and deploying its mRNA vaccine, he
said, noting that it will definitely be cheaper than the roughly
$120 list price per dose Pfizer is hoping to charge in the
United States later this year. 
    Although mRNA technology is more malleable and easier to
tweak to address new variants versus traditional vaccine
approaches, mRNA vaccines typically require more expensive
ultra-cold storage. 
    However, researchers have made some strides in making sure
formulations remain stable at somewhat higher temperatures.
 (Reporting by Natalie Grover in London and Sophie Yu in
Beijing; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Jonathan Oatis)
 ((natalie.grover@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @NatalieGrover;))