WestVac BioPharma Co., Ltd. is an innovative biopharmaceutical enterprise integrating vaccine R&D, production and sales, including WestVac Biopharma located in Chengdu and WestVac Biopharma (Guangzhou), a wholly-owned subsidiary company of WestVac Biopharma. With the continuous investment and support of many powerful shareholders -- CICC Capital, Shanghai Pharma, Haier Biomedical among others, WestVac BioPharma has been successfully selected into the list of unicorn companies for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023.
In terms of production, quality, operations management and other areas, WestVac Biopharma has introduced top talents from well-known Chinese and international vaccine companies. It has also established a complete production and quality management system to ensure a smooth mass production of vaccines.
WestVac Biopharma has a mature insect cell expression platform, novel adjuvant platform, bacterial vaccine platform, mRNA vaccine platform, tumor vaccine and immunotherapy platform, with more than 20 pipelines including COVID-19 vaccine, multivalent influenza vaccine, respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, herpes virus vaccine, and tumor immunity preparations.
Multi-center Phase III clinical trials of the first generation Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Sf9 cells)-Coviccine, were rolled out globally in multiple countries including Mexico and the Philippines in 2022, with nearly 40,000 subjects enrolled and vaccinated. The clinical trials in Japan,which were carried out for market access , led to the first Chinese COVID-19 vaccine that entered clinical trials in Japan .In December 2022, Coviccine® was approved for emergency use (EUA) by relevant authorities in China.On February 2023, WestVac Biopharma obtained the certification of "Foreign Manufacturer Accreditation for Pharmaceuticals - Certification License for Biopharmaceuticals" issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan.
Targeting the major circulating XBB variants in the year 2023, the scientific team of WestVac Biopharma/West China Medical Center, Sichuan University overcame all hurdles and successfully developed Recombinant Trivalent COVID-19 (XBB.1.5 + BA.5 + Delta variant) Trimeric Protein Vaccine (Sf9 cells) and Recombinant COVID-19 (XBB.1.5 variant) Trimeric Protein Vaccine (Sf9 cells). In June 2023, the Coviccine® trivalent XBB.1.5 vaccine was approved for emergency use by the Chinese national authorities. This marked the world's first approval of an emergency-use vaccine targeting the XBB.1.5 and other variants of the novel coronavirus. Free vaccinations have been conducted at over 10,000 community vaccination sites in more than 300 cities of China nationwide. In December 2023, the Recombinant COVID-19 (XBB.1.5) Trimeric Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) was also approved for emergency use by the Chinese national authorities. In January 2024, the Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB.1.5+BA.5+Delta) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) and the Recombinant COVID-19 (XBB.1.5) Trimeric Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) were successfully selected as the "Top 10 Advances of Chinese Medical Biotechnology of the Year " in 2023 by the China Medicinal Biotechnology Association and the journal "Chinese Medicinal Biotechnology".
WestVac Biopharma leverages the rapid response of the insect cell expression platform on constructing the vector for vaccine to produce the Recombinant Trivalent XBB.1.5 Protein Vaccine of high purity and high quality. The subunit vaccine antigen of Coviccine® Trivalent XBB.1.5 Vaccine is carefully designed based on the structural preciseness of the targeting S-RBD and HR proteins of the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 and other subvariants, and self-assembled into stable trimeric protein particles with squalene-based oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant added after purification and mixing. This novel adjuvant significantly raises the titer of neutralizing antibodies, which enables the trimeric protein vaccine to induce a strongerl T-cell immune response. Clinical trial data showed that 14 days after receiving the trivalent XBB.1.5 vaccine, high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants, including JN.1, BA.2.86, EG.5, HV.1, XBB.1, and XBB.1.5, were induced, with geometric mean titers (GMT) ranging from 900 to 3500, representing a 6.9 to 39-fold increase compared to pre-vaccination levels, demonstrating broad-spectrum efficacy. The GMT against JN.1, BA.2.86, and EG.5 variants were increased by 8.28, 10.48, and 14.90 fold respectively. The protective efficacy of this product against symptomatic COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 was 93.28% (95%CI: 92.76%, 93.81%) at 14 days and 86.18% (95%CI: 84.24%, 88.12%) at 6 months post-vaccination, while maintaining proven safety.
A new study published by Professor Wang Pengfei and related team at Fudan University in BioRxiv indicates that the Coviccine® trivalent XBB.1.5 vaccine induces a stronger neutralizing antibody response against multiple new SARS-CoV-2 variants such as JN.1, BA.2.86, and BA.2.87.1 (originating in South Africa and recently listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as virus under monitoring(VUM）) compared to XBB strain infected individuals, which were 16.7, 11.9 and 6.0 times higher than those before vaccination respectively, effectively combating a wide range of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
These findings indicated that the Coviccine® trivalent XBB.1.5 vaccine represents a new generation of broad-spectrum COVID-19 vaccines targeting various variants, including XBB, prevalent China domestically and internationally, and fully reflects the advantages and characteristics of the recombinant protein vaccine technology using insect cell expression.
WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd. is located in in Chengdu Tianfu International Biological City.It has completed construction of 5,000-litre and 3,000-litre insect cell recombinant protein vaccine production lines with an annual production capacity of 100 million doses. The GMP production lines were well established with the “Drug Production License" in place in September, 2021. WestVac Biopharma has received the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certificate from the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) in Mexico in January, 2024, a member of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S). This certification covers all the COVID-19 vaccines produced by WestVac Biopharma using insect cells (Sf9), including the Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB.1.5+BA.5+Delta) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) and other COVID-19 vaccine series. WestVac Biopharma (Guangzhou) is located in Guangzhou Economic Development Zone. It has completed scale-up construction of insect cell recombinant protein vaccine production lines with an annual production capacity of 100 million doses, and obtained the “Drug Production License" in February, 2024.
WestVac Biopharma has established a sound communication mechanism with many international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and European Vaccine Initiative (EVI). In the future, WestVac Biopharma will grow into a world leading vaccine and immunotherapy platform in line with its corporate philosophy of "We Initiate Science & Technology Value, Always for Caring". Westvac extensively explores and innovates to prevent and fight human diseases. Westvac brings innovative vaccines and immunotherapies from China to the world for the benefit of mankind.
