(Yicai Global) Nov. 20 -- CanSino Biologic’s Covid-19 vaccine does not need to be stored in very cold temperatures, making it convenient to store and transport, but producing billions of doses a year to meet domestic demand could be challenging, the chief executive officer of the Chinese vaccine maker said today.

The vaccine, co-developed with the Academy of Military Science of the People's Liberation Army, can stay stable for long periods at temperatures between two and eight degrees Celcius, said Yu Xuefeng, who is also co-founder and president of the firm.

On the other hand, Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, which the US pharma giant claims is 94 percent effective in over-65s, can only be kept for five days at temperatures of two to eight degrees. It otherwise requires long-term storage temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius, a logistical hurdle that is almost impossible for most healthcare providers to meet.

The Tianjin-based firm’s vaccine candidate, though, poses a different set of difficulties for producers.

"If every Chinese person takes the vaccine, we may need to produce billions of doses a year,” Yu said. In the past, our vaccine production capacity was 100 million doses per year, or 200 million doses at the most. It will be a big challenge for national regulatory agencies to launch a batch release, he said.

CanSino has already started Phase III clinical trials in many countries including Russia, Pakistan and Mexico. Everything is progressing smoothly, Yu said.

Editor: Kim Taylor