Scientists worldwide are racing to develop severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) vaccines and get them into the clinical
trial stages, China's Ministry of Science
and Technology said Monday.
At least 10 different types of SARS vaccines are in various
stages of development, according to the ministry.
Four of them, developed by Canada and the United States, will go
into clinical trials by the end of this year. Vaccines developed by
France and Austria will likely go the same stage next year.
Preliminary clinical trials on a SARS vaccine developed by
Chinese scientists are already under way. Giving China the lead in
the race to develop and test a vaccine, the drug entered trials in
January, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, research by scientists from different countries has
created a new hotbed of discussion and studies of new infectious
diseases.
Last week, Chinese scientists and officials from the ministry
attended an international symposium on SARS vaccines organized by
the World Health Organization (WHO).
The symposium was attended by virology experts, doctors and drug
company representatives from the European Union, the United States,
the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Canada, Thailand, Austria,
France and China.
Monday, the WHO released its evaluation of China's progress in
developing a SARS vaccine, said the information department of the
Ministry of Science and Technology.
China and the WHO will continue to work toward a global standard
for a SARS vaccine. This will play an important role in
standardizing experiments around the world.
In February, the State Drug Administration (SDA) authorized
Beijing-based Sinovac
Biotech Co. Ltd. to select volunteers for China's first
clinical tests of the vaccine.
The first phase of the testing will last three months and be
conducted in Beijing, south China's Guangdong
Province or neighboring Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The group of volunteers will comprise 15 men and 15 women
between the ages of 18 and 40. They will go through medical
examinations and clinical observations.
The vaccine was found to be safe and effective in experiments on
animals, including the rhesus monkey, whose immune system closely
resembles that of humans.
The first phase of the test is to determine if it is safe and
effective on humans. There are still risks, Chinese experts
said.
The vaccine might cause minor side effects such as low fever and
pain. But these symptoms disappear naturally without medical
treatment.
(China Daily March 9, 2004)