Daiichi Sankyo progresses mRNA COVID19 vaccine development in Japan

Pushing forward Japan's effort to locally develop COVID-19 shots, Daiichi Sankyo (TYO: 4568) has announced progress on the development of DS-5670, an mRNA vaccine in Japan, being evaluated against the novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19), including results from a Phase I/II clinical trial.

The trial was initiated in March 2021 to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of DS-5670 and to estimate the recommended dose. No relevant safety concerns have been observed following four weeks of follow-up after administration of the second dose of the vaccine in 142 healthy adults, including elderly individuals. For the immunogenicity, both neutralizing activity and IgG titer3 increased after the vaccination.

A non-clinical research project conducted in collaboration with the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science showed that DS-5670 induced a neutralizing activity against previously designated Variant of Concerns, including the Delta variant.