key: cord-0777009-0uheb9x2 authors: Hu, Yinglian; Chen, Simiao title: What can we learn from COVID-19 vaccine R&D in China? A discussion from a public policy perspective date: 2021-02-25 journal: J Travel Med DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taab026 sha: 3a777a349010887ee0ccd910410f452bfa487964 doc_id: 777009 cord_uid: 0uheb9x2 Given China’s relatively weak innovative and regulatory capacity compared to developed countries, China’s progress on COVID-19 vaccines is especially impressive. We summarize three key lessons from China’s experience with COVID-19 vaccine R&D: i) set strategic vaccine R&D goals and achieve broad consensus; ii) strengthen coordination across government agencies; and iii) adopt the state-driven collaborative model. clinical trial in Wuhan, which subsequently yielded the first human trial data on May 20. 1 Soon after containing China's initial COVID-19 outbreak, the central government set a strategic goal to maintain no or minimal local transmission until the population became protected through immunization with safe and effective vaccines. 7 In an effort to accelerate vaccine R&D and rollout, Heterogeneity exists in the allocation of resources, functions, and information related to vaccine R&D across government agencies and institutions. In addition, stakeholder goals may vary. For instance, MOST may call on scientists to prioritize public health utility in vaccine R&D (e.g., by developing a highly efficacious, broad-spectrum influenza vaccine), even if the resulting product carries a moderate risk of adverse effects like rash or diarrhea; regulators, on the other hand, are likely to place greater priority on vaccine safety. In order to coordinate policy goals across agencies and mobilize resources promptly, a COVID-19 vaccine task force was established in mid-February. The task force, which includes senior officials from NMPA, MOST, and other departments, is affiliated with the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council and directly reports to the Vice Premier of China. Fig. 1 Under the task force's direction and guidance, multiple players collaborated to maximize their joint performance. Thanks to a decades-long standing relationship between MOST and pharmaceutical companies, the Chinese government has been able to promptly identify enterprises that are capable of COVID-19 vaccine R&D during the current public health emergency. The task force has also supported the efficient allocation of experimental animal resources required for vaccine R&D across the Chinese Academy of Sciences, universities, the army, and state-owned enterprises. In addition, the task force has directed NMPA to modify its procedure in accordance with the Vaccine Administration Law to streamline the inspection and review process for vaccines and dramatically accelerate market approval. We have identified three categories of national vaccine R&D models: i) the government-oriented model, which relies on political mobilization and generates knowledge mainly through academic, public sector, and non-profit organizations; ii) the market-oriented model, which relies on economic instruments (e.g., monetary incentives) and generates knowledge mainly through private developers; and iii) the state-driven collaborative model, which integrates political mobilization and economic instruments and generates knowledge through both the public and private sectors. These three types of COVID-19 vaccine R&D models were used in different countries. For example, Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine: a dose-escalation, open-label, non-randomised, first-in-human trial Development of an inactivated vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2 World Health Organization. The COVID-19 candidate vaccine landscape Sinopharm has released interim data from phase 3 trial of COVID-19 inactivated vaccine International strategies of China national biotech vaccines for human use The COVID-19 vaccine development landscape Active case finding with case management: the key to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic