Vaccine trials outside home market will help Chinese firms capture Asia, South and Central America markets: GlobalData

Pharma companies across the globe are working to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, which has already infected more than 38 million globally. Against this backdrop, the Phase III trials conducted by Chinese companies in countries outside China will help Chinese vaccines capture market share in Asian and South and Central American countries, says GlobalData.

According to GlobalData’s ‘Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pharma Executive Briefing – October 13, 2020’, globally there are a total of 60 COVID-19 vaccines under development (21 in Phase I, 26 in Phase II, and 13 in Phase III) and 4 out of 13 Phase III vaccines are from Chinese companies. Globally, the total number of clinical trials investigating COVID-19 vaccines are 280.

GlobalData’s Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center identified the following Phase III COVID-19 vaccine candidates from China: CanSino Biologics’ adenovirus vector-based recombinant vaccine – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine; Sinopharm Group’s inactivated virus vaccines – BBIBP-CorV and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine 2; and Sinovac Biotech’s inactivated virus vaccine – picovacc.

Three out of the four Chinese vaccines are undergoing clinical trials in South and Central American countries including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, while two vaccines are being evaluated in Asian countries Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Among these countries, Brazil and Argentina stood in third and sixth positions in the list of top 10 countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Venkat Kartheek Vale, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “Considering the number of clinical trial sites outside China, it seems Chinese companies will focus on launches in Asian and South and Central American countries initially using country-specific clinical trial data as the likelihood of Chinese vaccines to be accepted in those markets is high.”

This is supplemented by the fact that Chinese players find it difficult to establish themselves in Europe and North American countries against major players such as AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer.

Vale concludes, “This strategic move can help Chinese companies to enter new markets and improve diplomatic ties with other nations. Moreover, with lack of late-stage clinical trials from key players like Moderna and Pfizer in Asian countries and AstraZeneca focusing only in India with a Phase II/III study through its partner, Serum Institute of India provides Chinese companies with greater advantage to focus on Asian markets.”