Covid-19 vaccine race is shifting to Phase 2 testing

Twenty-two days. That's how fast a Chinese biotech's Covid-19 vaccine program took to reach the start of Phase 2 clinical trials after its launch.

With the global pandemic not likely to retreat anytime soon, a number of biotechs are gunning to develop a vaccine as soon as possible — names like Moderna Therapeutics and Inovio Pharma are leading the charge from the U.S., while China's efforts are spearheaded by CanSino Biologics.

Collaborating with China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences' Institute of Biotechnology, CanSino announced on March 18 the start of clinical trials for a recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine  — called Ad5-nCoV — based on an adenovirus type-5 vector. In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week, the company said the program will move into Phase 2 trials in China "soon" based on the preliminary safety data from its Phase 1.

According to the Phase 2 protocol posted on the Chinese clinical trial registry, the study aims to enroll 500 patients, half of whom will receive a medium dose of the vaccine; the other half will receive either a low dose of it or placebo. Researchers will be looking for the presence and level of antibodies 28 days after vaccination.