China Nods CSPC Pharma's RSV Vaccine for Clinical Trials

The National Medical Products Administration of China has announced that CSPC Pharmaceutical Group's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate for human clinical trials has been approved.

RSV, which causes symptoms similar to a cold but can be fatal in young children and older adults, was responsible for 17.6% of one group of patients in Beijing dying within 60 days, compared to 7.5% for a group infected with influenza A virus. RSV drugs have been licensed in China, but no vaccines are available.

"The product is at the forefront in the research and development progress in China," CSPC said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday.

CSPC Pharmaceutical Group reported that the National Medical Products Administration of China has approved its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate for human clinical trials.

RSV, which causes symptoms similar to a cold but can be fatal in young children and older adults, killed 17.6% of one group of patients in Beijing after 60 days, compared to 7.5% for a group infected with influenza A virus. RSV medicines have been approved in China, but there are no vaccines available.

According to CSPC, SYS6016 provided "good protection" against RSV-A and RSV-B subtype virus strains while also having a "good safety profile". Preclinical research, it added, revealed that the shot elicited "long-lasting" antibodies.