Japan’s first coronavirus vaccine may be ready this year

Japan’s first COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for mainstream use this year, Report informs with reference to TASS.

Per the Kyodo agency, the first vaccine may be a drug developed by one of the country’s leading pharmaceutical companies, Shionogi, which has been in clinical trials since December last year. Another Japanese company, AnGes Inc., is conducting similar tests of its drug.

Last year, Tokyo signed agreements with the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, the American Moderna, and the American-German consortium of firms Pfizer and BioNTech on the supply of drugs against coronavirus. In total, Japan expects to receive 310 million doses of the vaccine. Currently, vaccination in Japan is carried out only with Pfizer.