Chinese biotechnology firm, CanSino Biologics Inc. (CanSinoBIO), received Canadian regulatory approval to begin testing in Canada in May but the process has been reportedly delayed by China’s customs authorities.
“We’re obviously continuing to work with the Chinese government to ensure that this work can continue in an uninterrupted fashion,” Trudeau said on Thursday.
There are also reports that Russia is among the countries being considered for CanSinoBIO’s COVID-19 vaccine phase III testing.
The Ad5-nCoV candidate was developed in a joint venture by CanSinoBIO and the Chinese military’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly stressed the daily constraints that much of the population is adhering to will be the new normal until a vaccine is developed.