CGTN | 20-Jul-2020
Two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, one from China and the other from the UK, have proven safe for humans and produced strong immune reactions among patients involved in two separate clinical trials, the Lancet medical journal announced on Monday.
The first trial among more than 1,000 adults in Britain found that the vaccine induced “strong antibody and T cell immune responses” against the novel coronavirus. A separate trial in China involving more than 500 people showed that most had developed widespread antibody immune response. The results of both trials have been published on the Lancet.
The Chinese vaccine, named Ad5-nCOV, is developed by CanSino Biologics Inc and a military research unit. The Lancet said Phase 3 trials are needed to confirm whether the vaccine candidate effectively protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The UK vaccine, called AZD1222, is developed by AstraZeneca and scientists at Oxford University. Authors of the UK study say further clinical studies, including in older adults, should be done with this vaccine. Current results focus on immune response measured in the laboratory. Further testing is needed to confirm if the vaccine effectively protects against infection.
The two are among a handful of vaccines that have shown promise in human testing and gear up for late-stage trials, along with projects involving Moderna, BioNTech, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals.
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