China's CanSino Biologics Inc 6185.HK, one of the companies behind the new coronavirus vaccine candidate already in clinical trials, is associating with the National Research Council of Canada to pave the way for the upcoming trials in Canada, said by the research council on Tuesday.
The NRC noted it would scale up a production process for CanSino's vaccine at a government establishment in Montreal, and that the Chinese company was preparing a trial application for drug regulator Health Canada.
If the vaccine manufactured by CanSino works, the collaboration between the Chinese company and Canada could help ensure that Canadians have access to it. Local trial data could assure Health Canada that the vaccine is reliable, and the local manufacturing could guarantee some doses are at hand.
Questioned if the collaboration between CanSino and Canada would make it possible for Heath Canada to regard data gathered in China, NRC replied that in general, with the approval of the regulator, data can be shared.
Director-General of the NRC's Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, Lakshmi Krishnan, articulated that the trials in Canada will complement and expand on what has been done in China.
Krishnan said they are bringing back home a Canadian technology, and they are able to have the most advanced vaccine candidate in the world potentially available for Canadians in short order.
The agency noted that Canadian clinical trials will expand on Chinese data and provide better understanding of the vaccine candidate's safety profile.
A vaccine that safeguards people from the coronavirus could end the pandemic, but discovering one that works and producing enough doses is a big challenge.
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Affiliation between Canada and China have been strained since the Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhiu, Huawei Chief Financial Officer, on December 2018 at the demand of the United States. Meng Wanzhui's apprehension angered the Chinese government, which subsequently arrested two Canadian citizens, Mic0hael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, on state security charges.
But in the middle of the pandemic, Canada has endeavored to import protective equipment from the United States, turning in part to Chinese suppliers. Noted by a federal procurement website, Canada has substantiated on-the-ground support in China to manage bulk purchases.
The agency said that CanSino and NRC have been working together since 2013, and the vaccine developed by the company is produced using a cell line that was cultivated at the NRC.
Xuefeng Yu, chairman of CanSino, worked in Canada from 1996 to 2009, according to the company's website, primarily for Sanofi.
On April 26, shares of Hong Kong-listed CanSino rose after the company uttered that Health Canada had bargained to meet to discuss a clinical trial application.
The federal government previously announced $44 million for the NRC's facility upgrades in Montreal which aims to allow domestic production if the candidate pans out.
Separately on Tuesday, Canada pledged C$600 million over five years to support GAVI vaccine alliance, to bolster routine vaccinations around the world. GAVI is also providing support to low-income countries respond to the new coronavirus outbreak.
