CanSino Biologics Inc of China announced on Sunday that its recently developed COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use as a booster by the country’s drug regulator, potentially benefiting its business.
The National Medical Products Administration has approved the inhaled version of Cansino’s adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccine, the company said in a filing on Sunday.
“If the vaccine is subsequently purchased and used by relevant government agencies,” CanSino said, “the approval will have a positive impact on the company’s performance.”
However, the company warned that it will face stiff competition from other vaccines in China that have received government approval or are in clinical trials.
China granted Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization as a booster on Friday, one of only two new products against the disease cleared by the country in more than a year.
Cansino also stated that it was unsure when its vaccine would be available for sale because additional administrative approvals were still required and that sales would be dependent on the COVID-19 situation at home and abroad, as well as China’s vaccination rate.
COVID outbreaks have recently increased in China. On Saturday, the southern tech hub of Shenzhen imposed a weekend lockdown in most parts of the city, while Chengdu, the southwestern metropolis, imposed a lockdown on its 21 million people on Thursday.
On September 3, Mainland China reported 1,848 new coronavirus cases, including both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, compared to 1,988 new cases a day earlier.
