A clinical trial register has revealed that the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Beijing Wantai plans to begin major trials next month for its coronavirus vaccine in the form of a nasal spray. According to a statement published on the Chinese clinical trial register yesterday, the company aims to recruit 40,000 adult volunteers to participate in phase three clinical trials.
The register noted that participants will receive two doses of the test vaccine or a placebo with a two-week interval between doses. The statement did not specify the number of countries where the company will test its vaccine, but it mentioned that an ethics committee in the Philippines has approved the study, which removes some obstacles and paves the way for the trial there.
A representative from Beijing Wantai stated that the registration does not mean the company has officially commenced phase three trials, adding that it is awaiting further documentation from the authorities but did not specify from which country. The vaccine serves as an alternative to commonly used injectable vaccines and can elicit an immune response in the airways by simulating natural infection with a respiratory virus.
