China’s vaccine manufacturers step up R&D, innovation

Based on rapid growth over the past few years, Chinese COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers are expected to intensify their pursuit of innovation-driven, high-quality development, industry experts and business leaders said.

Since the outbreak of the disease, Chinese vaccine developers have moved quickly to design a vaccine against the infectious disease. So far, the country has approved seven domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines for the domestic market.

According to the National Health Commission, as of July 14, the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in mainland China was about 3.41 billion.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, China has provided more than 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries, regions and international organizations.

However, analysts said domestic vaccine makers must face the reality of shrinking demand for COVID-19 vaccines and refocus on product quality improvements while stepping up efforts to better achieve disease prevention goals in global and domestic markets.

So far, three Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, produced by China National Biotec Group, Sinovac Biotech Ltd and CanSino Biologics Inc, have received emergency use approval from the World Health Organization.

Chinese vaccine companies are increasingly aware of the importance of independent innovation. The fierce competition they face tells them that self-development of core technologies is the key for sustainable and healthy development.

In the past two years, Chinese vaccine companies have improved their status in the global vaccine industry by expanding production capacity, establishing cross-regional logistics, improving commercialization, and strengthening international cooperation.

Such experience is especially valuable for Chinese vaccine makers, as they are expected to intensify independent research on in-house innovations to seek greater competitiveness in domestic and global markets.