Sinopharm reported that an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine developed by its subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, caused an impressive antibody response in its Phase I/II trial. In subjects who were given the second dose 28 days after the first one, the vaccine produced a response in 100% of the volunteers. If the subjects received a second dose on the 14th or 21st day, the vaccine caused a seroconversion rate of 97.6%. Sinopharm did not disclose the strength of the antibody responses.

Sinopharm enrolled 1,120 volunteers in the Phase I/II trial. They received two injections of the vaccine at low, middle or high dosing strengths (or placebo). The middle dose was sufficient to produce the antibody response without any adverse events. Sinopharm did not disclose whether the amount of vaccine caused a dose-dependent response.

Sinopharm will now move the vaccine into a Phase III test to see whether the vaccine actually prevents people from contracting COVID-19. The tests will be conducted with several foreign companies, though the company did not announce specific plans.

Yesterday, Sinovac announced its inactivated vaccine produced seroconversion rates of over 90% of the subjects, and the company said it plans to move forward with its previously disclosed Phase III test with Brazil's Instituto Butantan. Brazil is currently experiencing an outbreak of the virus.

In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine from its Wuhan division, Sinopharm's CNBG is also testing another COVID-19 vaccine developed by its Beijing arm. The Wuhan vaccine started clinical trials April 12, while the Beijing institute candidate started a trial in late April. The company plans to manufacture a combined 200 million doses of its vaccines.

Last week, Sinopharm reported results were published in the journal Cell from preclinical tests of the Beijing COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies in animal tests without causing any serious adverse events.

According to a Bloomberg report, the two non-approved CNBG vaccines are already being offered to employees of state-owned companies who plan to travel overseas, a major breach of usual practice, though it does show how concerned China is about preventing more outbreaks.

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Disclosure: none.