Canada-China COVID-19 vaccine trials abandoned: National Research Council

HALIFAX — A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between China’s CanSino Biologics and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia has been abandoned.

The National Research Council of Canada said today in a statement the CanSino vaccine intended for phase one clinical trials has not been approved by Chinese customs for shipment to Canada.

Because of that delay the NRC says the opportunity to conduct the trials is over.

The NRC says the Canadian Center for Vaccinology had been ready to start clinical trials as early as June, after Health Canada approved CanSino’s proposal.

The Halifax lab was one of several in Canada and in the U.S. whose work in 2014 led to an Ebola vaccine that was used in West Africa.

In its statement, the NRC says it will focus on other partners and other COVID-19 priorities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020.

The Canadian Press