China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. inked a clinical development collaboration agreement with a Brazilian producer of immunobiological products called Instituto Butantan to advance clinical trials of CoronaVac, Sinovac’s inactivated vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2 to Phase III.

As stated by researchers, CoronaVac vaccine candidate offered safety and protection to rhesus macaques (monkeys) in an animal challenge study. 

The company is now building a commercial vaccine production plant in China that is expected to manufacture up to 100 million doses of CoronaVac annually.

According to the new deal, Instituto Butantan will sponsor Phase III clinical trials in Brazil. The first in a series of agreements, this broader collaboration will also entail technology licensing, market authorization, and commercialization of CornaVac in Brazil should the vaccine prove safe and effective, assuming it ultimately is approved by regulators.