Shionogi To Develop Covid - 19 Vaccine
Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi has announced plans to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus.
The company said Monday it hopes to offer a vaccine to 10 million people. Clinical trials are to begin by the end of the year, in coordination with Japan's health ministry and other parties.
Shionogi is joining hands with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases to develop what is called a recombinant protein vaccine.
Such vaccines rely on genetic engineering to create recombinant proteins that will serve as an antibodies against the virus.
The technology is said to be less time-consuming than other methods, and faster to mass produce.
The World Health Organization says clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines are already underway in China and the United States.
Efforts are also picking up steam in Japan, with pharmaceutical heavyweight Daiichi Sankyo joining hands with the University of Tokyo, among other projects.
