China has approved its first locally produced messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine for a cure against Covid-19, its manufacturer said on Wednesday, months after the ease of tough Covid-zero restrictions sparked a tide in cases.
The vaccine, which is developed by CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd, has been approved for “emergency use” by China’s health regulator, the company said in a statement.
It revealed high efficacy in a trial in which it was used as a booster shot for people who have been given further types of vaccines, the company added, without providing additional details. mRNA vaccines are considered among the most useful in lowering painful infections and deaths.
While traditional vaccines use a weakened or inactivated germ to prepare the body for a forthcoming attack from the real virus, mRNA deploys snippets of genetic material that have instructions indicating the body’s cells how produce a protein in this case, the spike protein on the Covid-19 that causes Covid.
The body’s immune system then activates antibodies to combat off that spike protein, making it ready for when the real Covid-19 comes striking. China has declined to allow mRNA-based vaccines from foreign companies Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for public use.
Its vaccination shortfall was widely believed to have led to more painful infections and deaths after lockdowns and mandatory quarantine rules were suddenly dropped in December.
Other Chinese drugmakers including CanSino have earlier said they were developing mRNA-based shots to help the nation bridge its immunization gap.
