A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Taipei-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (MVC) and the US National Institutes of Health has been given conditional approval to enter human trials, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The “MVC-COV1901 vaccine injection” was found eligible to enter a phase 1 clinical trial by a panel of experts, on condition that Medigen submits additional technical data on the vaccine, the FDA said.
Once the data are reviewed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, MVC will become the third company in Taiwan to begin human trials for a COVID-19 vaccine, after Adimmune Corp and United Biomedical, the FDA said in a statement.
Photo: CNA
The vaccine is the first targeted at COVID-19 to be developed by Taiwan and the US, FDA official Wu Ming-mei (吳明美) said.
The US National Institutes of Health has partnered with two companies — Neihu District (內湖)-headquartered MVC and US-based Moderna — to develop two types of COVID-19 vaccine.
The candidate developed by Moderna injects messenger RNA into the human body, while the one developed by MVC injects proteins, both with the aim of triggering the production of antibodies, Wu said.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has already progressed to a phase 3 clinical study, Wu added.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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