The data will be unblinded Thursday at a press conference, giving information on the findings in the Phase II trials, which had 4,000-plus participants, Medigen said, adding that a placebo was given to one in every seven participants.
Medigen, one of two Taiwanese companies in Phase II trials for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, said its recombinant protein vaccine was developed in collaboration with the United States National Institutes of Health, one of the world's leading medical research centers.
According to Medigen, all the participants in the Phase II trials received their second dose of the vaccine candidate on April 28 and had a follow-up examination one month later.
The data collected during the Phase II trials has been analyzed by a third-party contract research organization, and the results will be made public at Thursday's press conference, the company said.
The data will also be sent to Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration, with an application for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), so the vaccine can be distributed soon, Medigen said.
The Taiwan government has signed contracts to purchase 5 million doses of the Medigen vaccine and another 5 million doses from United Biomedical Inc., which reportedly is close to completing its Phase II trials, also for a recombinant protein vaccine.
On March 22, Taiwan began rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines it had procured, and as of Wednesday morning, 743,578 AstraZeneca jabs had been administered.
Also on Wednesday, frontline medical workers began receiving Moderna vaccine shots, which the government had purchased from the American biotech company.
Taiwan has signed contracts to procure nearly 20 million vaccines from abroad, including 5.05 million doses of Moderna, 10 million AstraZeneca shots, and 4.76 million doses of unspecified brands through the COVAX program.
(Source of news: CNA)
