CHENGDU, China, May 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 17, 2023, Recombinant bivalent COVID-19 protein vaccine (Sf9 cells) and recombinant trivalent COVID-19 trimeric protein vaccine (Sf9 cells) developed by WestVac Biopharma/ West China Medical Center, Sichuan University against the most recent circulating XBB variants, received the "Drug Clinical Trial Approval" from the National Medical Products Administration of China. These two new vaccines will be quickly commercialized for protecting against the current circulating XBB variant when the necessary clinical trials are completed. These two vaccines are also the first COVID-19 vaccines in the world to begin clinical trials specifically for variants like XBB.

The State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism conducted a news conference in early May 2023. The meeting noticed that as inbound and outbound interaction between China and other countries increased, the worldwide impact on the makeup of the key pandemic variants of the novel coronavirus in my country grew dramatically. According to surveillance data^[1], the primary pandemic variants of COVID-19 virus in China have evolved into XBB series.  In this context, WestVac Biopharma uses the international advanced insect cell recombinant protein vaccine platform to develop the recombinant bivalent COVID-19 (XBB + prototype strain) protein vaccine (Sf9 cell) Coviccine ® bivalent and recombinant trivalent COVID-19 (XBB + BA.5 + Delta variant) trimeric protein vaccine (Sf9 cell). The two WestVac's vaccines are crucial for the prevention of the current XBB variants and contribute significantly to the ongoing management of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Coviccine® Bivalent-- Recombinant COVID-19 Bivalent (XBB+Prototype) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell)

The Recombinant COVID-19 Bivalent (XBB+Prototype) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) is an upgraded version of Coviccine® --Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Sf9 cell) developed by WestVac Biopharma. Studies have shown that the vaccine induced high titers of neutralizing antibodies against multiple subvariants, including XBB.1.5, XBB1.16, XBB1.9.1, XBB.2.3, BA.5, BF.7, BQ.1^[1], indicating that the vaccine is a universal COVID-19 vaccine effective against multiple strains, especially with a particularly significant increase in neutralizing antibodies against XBB series variants.

Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB+BA.5+Delta) Trimeric Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell)

Taking advantage of the rapid response of the internationally advanced insect cell expression platform in recombinant protein vaccine production, WestVac Biopharma and its subsidiary company called WestVac Biopharma(Guangzhou) has constructed the vector for the Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB+BA.5+Delta) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell), and produced trivalent recombinant protein vaccines of high purity and high quality for human use. The subunit vaccine antigen is precisely designed based on the structure of the targeting S-RBD and HR proteins of the COVID-19 subvariants XBB and BA.5, and can self-assemble into stable trimeric protein particles. Studies have shown that the vaccine induced high titers of neutralizing antibodies against multiple subvariants, including Omicron XBB.1.5, XBB1.16, XBB1.9.1, XBB.2.3, BA.5, BF.7, BQ.1, BA.2.75, indicating that it is a broad-spectrum COVID-19 vaccine against multiple prevalent subvariants at home and abroad^[1].

About WestVac Biopharma

WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd. is an innovative biopharmaceutical company integrating vaccine R&D, production and sales system with an annual production capacity of 1.1 billion doses of vaccine., WestVac Biopharma has been selected successfully on the list of unicorn companies from 2021 to 2023. In December 2022, Coviccine® has been approved by the national authority for emergency use, and is on the vaccine procurement list in the bidding process in over 20 provinces in China.

Reference: