Potential COVID-19 vaccine from China shows promise in animal trials

Chinese researchers developing a coronavirus vaccine say it showed promise in animal trials, according to a study published Saturday in the medical journal Cell.

The potential vaccine, called BBIBP-CorV, reportedly produced antibodies that fought against the virus in monkeys, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. 

“These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial,” researchers said in the paper. 

The vaccine is being developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, which is a unit of the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm). It is one of five vaccine candidates that is being tested in the country. 

There are more than 100 potential vaccines in works worldwide, about five of which are in different stages of development around the U.S. 

Moderna, the American biotech company working on a vaccine with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), announced Wednesday that it will begin the final testing stages in July. 

In its previous phase, Moderna’s vaccine showed promising results when tested on animals, much like BBIBP-CorV.

John Mascola, the director of the vaccine research center at NIAID, told The Wall Street Journal that the trials will involve about 30,000 people at more than 50 sites, which will mostly be within the U.S.