China ventures into drug development with new flu vaccine
A new Chinese influenza vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization, according to The Economic Times. The vaccine is the only the second Chinese vaccine to be considered “safe and effective.”
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In a statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the approval of the vaccine—made by Hualan Biological Bacterin Corp.—involved stringent lab tests and a site inspection.
The other vaccine made in China to achieve WHO pre-qualification was a drug against Japanese encephalitis in 2013.
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“WHO prequalification of the Hualan vaccine is another feather in the cap of China’s growing vaccine manufacturing industry,” said Bernhard Schwartlander, WHO representative in China, in a statement.
He added that the development “shows that the country is set to become one of the preeminent vaccine manufacturers globally.”
According to The Economic Times, “Chinese drug makers saw sales growth speed up and margins widen at the start of the year.”
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This is a sign that the world’s second-largest pharmaceuticals market may be “rebounding from a crackdown on corruption and high prices.”
This newly approved vaccine is China’s venture into drug development as the country also approved a new polio vaccine in January of this year—one month after local authorities also approved a home-grown Ebola vaccine.
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[SOURCE: The Economic Times]