SHTDF - Sinopharm unit cleared to study first mRNA COVID shot in China

• China National Biotec Group (CNBG) a subsidiary of Sinopharm Group ( OTCPK:SHTDF ) ( OTCPK:SHTDY ), announced Friday that authorities in China greenlighted clinical trials for the country's first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant.
• China's National Medical Products Administration has authorized the group's biotech unit Virgin Biotech to study the vaccine, which encodes the full length of the viral strain's S protein.
• Shanghai-based Virogin operates an R&D platform and boasts production lines that can manufacture up to 2B mRNA vaccine doses annually.
• The authorization marks a "milestone" in the company's COVID-19 vaccine development efforts, which have led to inactivated and genetic recombinant shots, Zhang Yuntao, vice-president and chief scientist of CNBG, said, according to China Daily .
• "From the early stage of research and development , CNBG has been working toward developing a world-class Omicron-specific mRNA vaccine in all aspects. Also, we have been making efforts to speed up the process for clinical trials," Yuntao added.
• Sinopharm ( OTCPK:SHTDY ) holds distribution and exclusive import rights for molnupiravir, an oral COVID-19 therapy Merck ( MRK ) has developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

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