70 CCP Virus Vaccines Being Developed, Says WHO

Paula Liu
By Paula Liu
April 15, 2020COVID-19
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70 CCP Virus Vaccines Being Developed, Says WHO
A pharmacist holding medicine in a pharmacy in a stock photo. (I Viewfinder/Shutterstock)

Seventy vaccines for the CCP virus are in development worldwide, three of which have already begun human trials, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The most tested vaccine is being developed by CanSino Biologics Inc. and Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, which have started human testing, according to a list of potential COVID-19 vaccines (pdf) released by the WHO. According to the list, the company is in its phase two testing as of April 11.

Two other companies that have begun human testing are Inovio Pharmaceuticals and Moderna Inc., two U.S. drugmakers, according to the list.

According to The Hill, Moderna has been given permission to skip animal testing altogether and head straight for human trials. Inovio, according to Time, has already begun human trials.

Other companies on the list are still in their pre-clinical stages.

Currently, companies are racing against time to produce a working vaccine, and at the earliest a vaccine will be ready by next year. Normally, vaccines take around 10 to 15 years to become available on the market.

A vaccine developed by Oxford University projected an even earlier date, saying that in the best-case scenario, a vaccine could be ready by the fall of 2020, according to Sarah Gilbert, vaccinology professor.

“I know quite a lot about the Oxford project, and it is really great to see some hope, especially on the front page of the newspapers,” UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told The Washington Post.

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