COVID-19 vaccines: progress and understanding on quality control and evaluation

Area of Science:

• Vaccinology
• Biotechnology
• Public Health

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic presented significant global health and economic challenges.
• Vaccines are crucial for controlling the pandemic, with over 200 candidates in development globally.
• Rapid COVID-19 vaccine R&D necessitated robust quality control and evaluation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the progress and experiences in quality control and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines developed in China.
• To provide references for current and future COVID-19 vaccine research and development worldwide.

Main Methods:

• National Regulatory Authorities and organizations issued guidance for COVID-19 vaccine R&D.
• China's Center for Drug Evaluation and national quality control laboratory led research in vaccine quality control and evaluation.
• Collaboration with relevant laboratories accelerated vaccine R&D and regulatory approval.

Main Results:

• China deployed five parallel vaccine platforms for COVID-19 vaccine development.
• Quality control and evaluation research significantly supported vaccine R&D progression.
• Accelerated emergency use and conditional marketing approvals for vaccine candidates were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The experiences in quality control and evaluation of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines offer valuable insights.
• These findings can inform the development of current and next-generation COVID-19 vaccines globally.