Latest Covid-19 vaccine trials: Chinese firm Kangtai gets approval for clinical trials, Inovio trials on hold in US

Latest on Covid-19 vaccine trials: Coronavirus has already claimed over 10 lakh lives across the world and countries are now in the middle of a global race to come up with the first successful coronavirus vaccine. About 150 Covid-19 vaccine candidates are now at different stages of clinical trials across the world.

After facing a brief pause over the illness of a volunteer, the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine being developed in partnership with the Oxford University, is back in advanced trials after it showed positive results to boost immunity among the takes. Meanwhile, the vaccine still awaits approval for clinical trials in the United States.

Latest updates on Covid-19 vaccine trials:

- US health regulator FDA has put a hold Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc's plans to start final trials of its coronavirus vaccine. The FDA has sought more information on the potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by Inovio, including details on a delivery device used to inject genetic material into cells. The mid-to-late trials, which were awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), were scheduled to start this month after they were postponed from this summer. The drugmaker has now said that the latest delay was not due to any side effects in the early-stage study of the vaccine, which was continuing. Shares of Inovio fell nearly 25% in morning trading as the gap widened with rival coronavirus vaccine developers Moderna Inc, Pfizer and AstraZeneca Plc that have already begun late-stage trials. Inovio said it would respond to FDA's queries in October, after which the US agency would have 30 days to decide whether the trial should proceed. Tentatively, the earliest the trial could start now is November.

- China's Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products has said it plans to launch a clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine candidate as soon as possible after it had obtained regulatory approval from the Chinese medical products regulator. Kangtai's Covid-19 vaccine candidate has triggered antibodies after being tested in mice and monkeys, and vaccinated monkeys tolerated high levels of the coronavirus, the company said in a filing. The firm also said the manufacturing facility to produce its vaccine candidate was complete, pending tests and regulatory certification.

- Russia has sent its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Belarus to undergo clinical trials. Russia has sent a first batch of its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine to Belarus for clinical trials, the first such delivery of the jab abroad, Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF has said. Volunteers in Belarus would begin receiving the Russian vaccine from October 1, the Russian Direct Investment Fund which is backing the vaccine developer, said.

- Govt of India has launched a web portal for coronavirus vaccine. The health ministry has launched a web portal that will provide all necessary information on the novel coronavirus, Covid-19 vaccine development, ongoing clinical trials and progress made in India locally and globally.

- Bharat Biotech has signed a licensing agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US for a novel "chimp-adenovirus", single dose intranasal vaccine against Covid-19.

- The King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Mumbai has begun phase II and phase III trials of the Oxford Covishield vaccine for Covid-19. The hospital, located in Parel area, on Tuesday got the approval of the Maharashtra ethics committee for conducting the vaccine trials.