CanSino says spiking Covid-19 infections are speeding up its vaccine test

CanSino Biologics Inc. said surging coronavirus infections around the world will allow it to quickly reach an interim milestone to analyze the efficacy of its single-shot vaccine.

The Chinese company is testing its vaccine in Pakistan, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Russia, Zhu Tao, the company’s chief scientific officer, said at a forum in Zhuhai. CanSino needs 50 Covid-19 cases for interim analysis and expects to quickly get them, he said.

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CanSino is developing a shot using a cold-causing adenovirus as a vector, a similar type of vaccine as some others. Pre-existing immunity to the adenovirus vector won’t have a major impact on the vaccine’s ability to generate immune responses to the coronavirus, Zhu said.

Zhu said breakthroughs by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. have been encouraging and suggest experimental vaccines stand a better chance of clinical success.

China’s military has approved CanSino’s shot for use among its personnel.