Japan’s new corona vaccine - Two pharmaceutical companies start new clinical trials

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

国産の新型コロナワクチン 新たに製薬会社2社が臨床試験を開始

2021年3月22日 22時10分

製薬大手の第一三共と、熊本市の製薬会社KMバイオロジクスの2社は、それぞれ、開発中の新型コロナウイルスのワクチンを人に接種し、安全性などを確かめる臨床試験を始めたと発表しました。国産のワクチンで臨床試験を行うのは、これで4社になりました。

第一三共の発表によりますと、臨床試験は国内の健康な成人や高齢者合わせて152人を対象に、22日から接種を始め、安全性や抗体ができるかなどを確認するほか、国内で推奨される用量を検討するということです。

第一三共などが開発しているワクチンは、国内ですでに接種が始まっているファイザー製と同じウイルスの遺伝情報を伝える「mRNA」を使った仕組みです。

一方、KMバイオロジクスの臨床試験は、健康な成人や高齢者合わせて210人が対象で、同じく、22日から接種を始め、安全性や抗体ができるかなどを確認するということです。

KMバイオロジクスなどが開発しているのは、ウイルスを加工して毒性をなくした「不活化」ワクチンで、季節性インフルエンザなどのワクチンと同じタイプです。

厚生労働省によりますと、国産のワクチンで臨床試験を行うのは、先行する塩野義製薬とアンジェスの2社に加え、これで4社となりました。

Translation

Daiichi Sankyo, a major pharmaceutical company, together with KM Biologics, a pharmaceutical company in Kumamoto City, announced that they had begun clinical trials to inoculate humans with the new coronavirus vaccine under development to confirm its safety. There were now four companies conducting clinical trials with domestic vaccines.

According to the announcement by Daiichi Sankyo, clinical trials would start inoculation on 152 healthy adults and elderly people in Japan from the 22^nd for the purpose of confirming safety and antibody production, as well as considering the recommended dosage in Japan.

The vaccine developed by Daiichi Sankyo and others used "mRNA" that conveyed the genetic information, which was same as the genetic information virus conveying system used by Pfizer that had already begun inoculation in Japan.

On the other hand, the clinical trial of KM Biologics, targeting at 210 healthy adults and elderly people, had started inoculation on the 22^nd, supposedly checking for safety and whether antibodies could be produced.

KM Biologics and others were developing "inactivated" vaccines that were made by processing viruses to so as to eliminate their toxicity, and were the same type as the vaccines for seasonal influenza etc.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, now there were four companies conducting clinical trials with domestic vaccines : adding the above two to the two already leading companies of Shionogi  & Co. and AnGes MG, Inc.

              So, Japan will have its own Covid-19 vaccine soon. Good work.

Note:

a. AnGes MG, Inc. (アンジェス) is a Japanese biopharmaceutical company that develops genetic drugs.  Established in December 1999 based on research results by Ryuichi Morishita (森下 竜一) (as the founder) who was the assistant professor at Osaka University School of Medicine at that time.

b. Shionogi & Company, Limited (塩野義製薬株式会社) is a Japanese pharmaceutical company with its business roots dating back to 1878 and was incorporated in 1919. Among the medicines produced are antibiotics and cancer drugs.