Another step towards the commercialization of a vaccine against coronavirus… Back to late June, Beijing has approved an experimental vaccine, Ad5-nCOV, for military use. A candidate vaccine developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and biotechnology firm CanSino Bio. According to our peers from Libération, over 2 million people could be concerned by this vaccination.
A vaccine prototype that, according to WHO, is one of the most advanced among the 18 others currently in pre-clinical phase across the world. In a release published on June 29, 2020, the biotechnology firm created in 2009 was very happy with the good results they have been getting so far, and that showed “good safety profile and high levels of humoral and cellular immune response” CanSino Bio explains. It has been developed with type 5 adenovirus, already used to set up a vaccine against the infection through Ebola virus.
Yet, there are side effects and they raise many questions. CanSino Bio explained in a study released on June 13 in The Lancet magazine that they noticed several adverse effects such as fever and fatigue, shortly after inoculating the patient. An ethical problem is also raised as to know if it is strictly for military use. “We are preoccupied by the lack of transparency from the Chinese government” NGO Human Rights Watch China researcher Yaqui Wang explains to our peers from Libération. She adds: “Authorities claim for instance no Covid-19 case has been reported in the army, but solider are strictly monitored”.
A vaccine for military use, but commercialization is not guaranteed for the general public. According to Le Figaro, based on the latest report from the WHO, 132 other vaccines “are currently in pre-clinical phase”. There is only to see its effects and if commercialization is considered left.
