[채인택의 글로벌 줌업] Vietnam, Cuba, and Iran also compete for corona vaccine development

In-Taek Chae International Reporter

The competition for the development of a vaccine to defeat the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) is heating up around the world. It is a competition for companies and the state to be recognized for their ability by developing a corona vaccine and to increase their dominance in the bio market in the post-corona era. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the New York Times (NYT), as of the 2nd, there are 12 types of selected corona vaccines that are available for general vaccination in more than one country with emergency approval, etc., and there are largely 5 applied technologies.

Corona vaccine development does not remain in the power and advanced countries. WHO, NYT, London School of Health, BBC, German international broadcasting DW, and the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a medical journal, are combined to expand vaccine development into a competitive arena for national power. Seven major countries (G7) Germany, France, Italy, Canada, middle-sized countries Korea, Australia and Israel, as well as developing countries such as Cuba, Iran, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, have joined the development of follow-up vaccines. Insufficient supply of first-line vaccines and severe hoarding in rich countries are expected to open up opportunities for market access to late-stage vaccines as well. According to NYT Vaccine Tracker on the 2nd, there are 71 corona vaccines currently in clinical trials, of which 20 are in phase 3, the last. In addition, at least 78 candidate substances are in the preclinical stage of animal testing.

The laboratory where Cuba developed the Abdala vaccine. [AP=연합뉴스]

The four items that are undergoing large-scale phase 3 clinical trials are expected to be released soon. The U.S. NovaVax vaccine and the ZF2001 vaccine developed by Anhuiji Peilongkerma in China are specific antigen (subunit) vaccines. It is made by extracting only the antigenic components that induce an immune response from the viral components. The German curevac vaccine applied RNA technology. Cadillac, an Indian pharmaceutical company, is a plasma DNA vaccine that uses DNA, the blueprint that makes up the antigen. In addition, the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Canada’s Medicago jointly developed a recombinant vaccine using a virus-like substance and are conducting phases 2 and 3 at the same time.

After that, countries and companies that are conducting phase 1 and 2 are following. In Korea, SK Bioscience, Genexin, Jinwon Life Science, and Celid each have been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for corona vaccine clinical trials. The International Vaccine Research Institute (IVI) is carrying out phases 1 and 2 of the corona vaccine developed by Inovio, a US biotechnology company, with the support of the International Federation for Infectious Diseases and Innovation (CEPI). IVI is an international organization headquartered in Korea established by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Vaccination scene in Tehran. Iran is in clinical trials of two vaccines. [신화=연합뉴스]

The Israeli Institute of Biological Research (IIBR) is in the process of phase 2 of its recombinant vaccine, IIBR-100. Vietnam’s Nanogen is doing the second phase of a vaccine called Nano CoVax that applies a specific antigen extraction method. Korean companies have also invested in this. In Japan, Anses, a gene drug developer, is in the process of phase 1 and 2 of AG0301, a plasmid DNA vaccine. It is supported by the Japan Medical Research and Development Organization (AMED), a national institution with a budget of 126 billion yen (about 1.3 trillion won) per year.

The country of interest is China, which has developed four types of corona vaccines so far. Three are inactivated vaccines using classical vaccine technology, and only the Cancino vaccine is a carrier vaccine using new technology. China is now shifting its focus to the development of vaccines using advanced biotechnology. In addition to ZF2001, which applied specific antigen extraction technology, the People’s Liberation Army is developing an RNA vaccine with Wallbox Biotech. Other biotech companies are developing two vaccines using carrier technology. NYT reported on February 18 that an inactivated vaccine developed by Kangtai Biologic Products in Shenzhen has entered phase 2.

Soberana 2 vaccine developed by Finlay Institute, Cuba. [AFP=연합뉴스]

The Abdala vaccine (CIGB66) developed by Cuba’s Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) entered phases 2 and 3 on February 1, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said the following day. According to a letter from the Cuban authorities released by BMJ, the vaccine, which started phase 1 on December 7, last year, showed that the body produced immune substances smoothly after two vaccinations. The letter said it is currently in Phase III at the Saturnino Laura Hospital in Santiago de Cuba.

Iran, a Middle Eastern country, also started phase 1 of its own corona vaccine candidate on December 29 last year, and on February 7, the AP and NYT reported that the second candidate also entered phase 1. It was developed by Sifa Parmed, a subsidiary of Iran’s state-run pharmaceutical company Barrekat.

Novel coronavirus vaccine currently permitted for general use

India is developing two types of nasal spray vaccines that are sprayed into the nose instead of injections. The Indian daily Times of India reported on January 12 that the world’s largest vaccine producer, the Indian Serum Research Institute (SII), entered the first phase of a nasal spray vaccine jointly developed with biotechnology company Kodagenix. On February 16th, Barat Biotech said it had begun phase 1 of another nasal spray vaccine.

In Bangladesh, the first phase of BangaVax, developed by the pharmaceutical company Globe Biotech, is in progress. Bangladesh is a poor country with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $1888 per capita based on an estimate of the nominal value of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2020.

Countries that have entered the corona vaccine development show their will to dominate the new bio market in the post-corona era by accumulating bio technology and marketing experience and know-how and maximizing the image of companies and national brands. The technologies such as mRNA, adenovirus carrier, specific antigen extraction, and plasmid DNA applied in the development of the corona vaccine can be extended to various uses including anticancer drugs and gene therapy as well as virus and bacterial infection diseases in the future. It is to use the corona era as an opportunity to open the era of health and longevity through the leap of biotechnology. Biotechnology and vaccine capabilities are expected to play an important role in international relations through vaccine support in the future.

In-Taek Chae International Reporter