Sinopharm Ramps up Efforts to Fight Epidemic

An engineer adjusts an X-ray imaging system that can be used to help fight novel coronavirus in Wuhan, at a medical equipment manufacturing company in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sinopharm, the largest healthcare company in China, said its research and development of vaccines against the novel coronavirus has made substantial progress, while treatment supplies for the infection are also to be increased.

Sinopharm is also known as China National Pharmaceutical Group Co.

Two affiliates of China National Biotech Group Co Ltd (CNBG), Sinopharm's subsidiary for vaccine and biological medicine, are working around the clock developing inactivated vaccines, and the Wuhan subsidiary in Hubei province is currently cultivating the virus, while the Beijing subsidiary is building the virus seed stock together with Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Vaccine & Serum Institute, an affiliate to CNBG that is developing a genetically engineered vaccine for the virus, has completed the gene sequence synthesis, and is taking the next steps including construction of recombinant plasmid and selection of engineering bacteria.

Changchun Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, CNBG's subsidiary in the capital city of Jilin province, is working at full operation to produce interferon-α, a treatment recommended by Chinese health authorities for the novel coronavirus infection.

In early March, the monthly production capacity is expected to reach 1 million vials.

Shanghai GeneoDx Biotech Co Ltd, an affiliate of CNBG, had provided the virus infection test kits for 1 million people's use by Feb 10, and is able to produce 4,000 packs of test kits daily with expanded capacity, which can be used on 200,000 people, statistics from Sinopharm showed. Shanghai GeneoDx is one of the first three companies in China that succeeded in developing the test kits.

To fight the epidemic, Sinopharm has provided about 1.28 million sets of protective clothing, 292,100 safety goggles, 56.71 million masks, 35.51 million pairs of gloves, 11.76 million bottles of sterilization products, 350,100 surgical gowns, and 2.29 million bottles of sterilizer, and has transported 93.03 million packs of medicine since Jan 21, the company said.