COVID-19 vaccine race: China approves first coronavirus vaccine patent

China has granted its first COVID-19 vaccine patent to the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by Chen Wei of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and Chinese biotech company CanSino Biologics, according to the National Intellectual Property Administration.

The patent was submitted for application on March 18 and was approved on Aug 11, according to the patent document. The vaccine, dubbed "Ad5-nCoV", uses a weakened common cold virus to introduce genetic material from the novel coronavirus into the human body. The goal is to train the body to produce antibodies that recognize the COVID-19 protein spike and fight it off.

Phase-two clinical trials have shown it to be safe and capable of inducing an immune response, according to research published in the journal Lancet last month. Meanwhile, phase-three clinical trials are currently in the pipeline and will include more participants and be conducted overseas.

Experts have called adenovirus vector vaccine a promising technique for its safety and potency against COVID-19 based on current evidence, as well as its potential in mass production. The United Kingdom and Russia are also working on a vaccine candidate using this kind of technology.