Pre-clinical research showed the vaccine has good neutralizing activity against Omicron variants. said Zhang Yuntao, chief scientist and vice president of vaccine developer China National Biotec Group (CNBG), affiliated with Sinopharm, during an online press conference.
Animal experiments have also shown that the vaccine offers some protection against Omicron infections, he said, noting that the protective effect of the vaccine needs to be observed further in clinical trials.
The vaccine was approved for clinical trials by the National Medical Products Administration on Tuesday.
During the clinical trials, a randomized, double-blind and cohort study method will be adopted among people aged 18 and above who have already received two or three doses of COVID-19 vaccines to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the inactivated vaccine.
With the successful development of the vaccine against Omicron variants, CNBG will coordinate its main production capacity and equipment to manufacture the new vaccine, said Yang Huichuan, chief scientist and vice president of CNBG.
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