Japan Accelerates Vaccine Development, Advances Two More Indigenous Candidates to Trials

It is no secret that Japan has lagged behind the COVID-19 vaccine race. With only three vaccines manufactured by local pharmaceutical companies advancing to clinical trials, Japan has relied mostly on imported vaccines that it granted emergency authorization.

Two Homemade Vaccines Enter Trials

As the Olympics approaches and the inoculation plan begins, two more indigenous vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials in Japan. On March 22nd, Daiichi Sankyo announced the initiation of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the mRNA vaccine, DS-5670.

Developed by Daiichi Sankyo and the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science, DS-5670 is supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development. The trial will include 152 healthy adults to elicit safety, immunogenicity, and optimal dosage data. The endpoints for safety are adverse events and reactions, and those for immunogenicity are neutralizing antibody titer and IgG titer.

On top of that, Daiichi Sankyo has initiated manufacturing of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222 in Japan, including vial filling and packaging with undiluted solutions to honor the deal with the Japanese government.

Meiji Holdings’s subsidiary KM Biologics has also launched a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of their inactivated virus vaccine KD-414. The study involves 210 adults and intends to investigate the safety and efficacy of the vaccines with 27 days of interval.

Current Developments of Vaccines in Japan

Currently, Japan has conditionally approved Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine BNT162b2 while AstraZeneca’s AZD1222 and Moderna’s mRNA-1273 have submitted applications for approval.

As for vaccines that are locally produced, AnGes’s AG0302-COVID19 and AG0301-COVID19 have entered Phase 3 and Phase 2 trials respectively. Shionogi’s S-268019 has also advanced to Phase 2, making the total of indigenous candidates to five.

Related Article: Japan Lags Behind in COVID-19 Vaccination Goals, Looks to Hasten Approval of Second Vaccine

Author

Tyler Chen

"Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died."- Erma Bombeck