China Approves Early Stage Trial of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine

China’s National Medical Products Administration has approved a phase 1 trial of Pfizer and BioNTech’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b1.

The trial will be conducted by Fosun Pharma, which entered into a collaboration agreement with  BioNTech in March to develop and commercialize the vaccine in China. Fosun said it will initiate the trial “as soon as possible.”

The FDA granted BNT162b1 a fast track review designation earlier this week along with their other mRNA vaccine candidate BNT162b2.