Coronavirus vaccine appears safe in first-in-human trial
This vaccine did not cause any serious adverse effects, the researchers say, though they did report some side effects such as fever.
By REUTERSPre-filled M-001 universal flu vaccine syringes (photo credit: BIONDVAX)
A coronavirus vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics Inc appears to be safe and induced a rapid immune response in its first human trial, Chinese researchers reported on Friday in The Lancet medical journal.First-in-human studies, known as Phase I trials, are primarily designed to test safety.This vaccine did not cause any serious adverse effects, the researchers say, though they did report some side effects such as fever.Furthermore, blood samples from the 108 vaccinated adults showed so-called neutralizing antibodies and T-cell responses against the novel coronavirus, a sign of possible efficacy."These results represent an important milestone," coauthor Professor Wei Chen from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology said in a statement. "The ability to trigger these immune responses does not necessarily indicate that the vaccine will protect humans from COVID-19. We are still a long way from this vaccine being available to all," the researcher added.Further studies will be needed to confirm whether the vaccine protects against infection. The first such trial is underway in Wuhan, China.
