“On April 9, 2021, China National Institute of Biological Sciences Sinopharm's new recombinant coronavirus vaccine received approval for clinical trials from the National Health Products Administration,” the company said in a WeChat statement.
The new vaccine contains elements of the coronavirus spike protein.
The two previous drugs developed by Sinopharm were based on an inactivated virus.
In mid-March, China approved a coronavirus drug from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
On December 31, 2020, China approved the first proprietary vaccine for the Sinopharm coronavirus to enter the market.
In early February, China approved the second COVID-19 vaccine from Beijing Kexing Zhongwei Biotechnology, which is part of Sinovac.
On February 25, 2021, China approved two more of its own COVID-19 vaccines for use.