The vaccine has prompted a surge in demand for types of chemical raw materials

Recently, a lot of good news about the domestically produced new crown vaccine was screened, and the heavyweight was released on August 22! my country has officially launched the emergency use of the new crown vaccine. In the CCTV "Dialogue" column on the evening of the 22nd, Zheng Zhongwei, director of the Science and Technology Development Center of the National Health Commission and the leader of the vaccine research and development team of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism Research Team of the State Council, stated that China has officially launched the new crown on July 22 Emergency use of vaccines.

The "Vaccine Management Law" clearly stipulates that in the event of a particularly major public health incident, the National Health Commission shall submit an application for emergency use of vaccines, and the State Food and Drug Administration shall organize experts to discuss and agree, and the National Health Commission shall set a certain scope and time limit. Emergency use of vaccines. The purpose is to first establish an immune barrier among special populations such as medical personnel, epidemic prevention personnel, border inspection personnel, and personnel who guarantee basic urban operations, so that the operation of the entire city will have a stable guarantee.



COVID-19 vaccine phase III clinical trial enrolls more than 20,000 people

The Phase III clinical trial of the new crown vaccine enrolled more than 20,000 people in the Phase III clinical trial, which is an important step in whether the vaccine can be marketed for large-scale population vaccination.

Yang Xiaoming, chairman of Sinopharm Group China Biotech and chief scientist of the national "863" plan vaccine project, said that on June 23, the launch ceremony of the International Clinical (Phase III) of China's New Coronary Inactivated Vaccine Vaccine in the United Arab Emirates took place in Beijing, Wuhan, and Abu Dhabi, UAE. Compared with the three places, the video conference is held simultaneously.

Up to now, the number of people enrolled in the group has exceeded 20,000 and has created many global firsts: the safety is very good, and the effectiveness is under further observation; the enrollment speed is better than expected, which is very worth looking forward to.

On August 20 and August 21, Sinopharm Sinopharm signed cooperation agreements with Peru, Morocco and Argentina on phase III clinical trials of the new crown inactivated vaccine and held the launch ceremony. This marks the overall acceleration of the Phase III clinical trials of China's new biological new crown inactivated vaccine. More sample sizes and clinical trial data in different regions will greatly enhance the listing process of the new crown inactivated vaccine, and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the community of human destiny and the health and well-being of people around the world.


my country has officially launched the emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine

So what does this have to do with us chemical workers?

The relationship is big! The function and storage of vaccines depend on chemicals.

In the process of vaccine production and use, a large number of chemicals are used to participate in the procedures of inactivation, antigen extraction, and preservation to ensure the function and effectiveness of the vaccine. Let us take a look at the chemicals used in vaccine development.


Formaldehyde Industry Chain

Compared with attenuated vaccines, in the production of inactivated vaccines, there is a greater demand for chemicals. This is because certain methods are needed to inactivate pathogens in the production of inactivated vaccines. In inactivation, certain means must be used to ensure that the pathogen loses its activity.

Inactivation refers to the use of physical (heating) or chemical means to kill viruses, bacteria, etc., but does not damage the useful antigens in their bodies. Inactivating the virus will destroy the complex but fragile spatial structure of the virus protein, and the protein no longer has physiological activity, so it loses its ability to infect, cause disease and reproduce. However, conventional inactivation does not affect the primary structure of the viral protein, which means that the sequence of the viral protein has not changed, and it can still trigger a part of the immune response. Therefore, the inactivated virus has antigenicity but loses infectivity.

In inactivated vaccines, the more common inactivating agent is formaldehyde. We know that formaldehyde is not a good thing for the human body. The same is true for pathogens, especially viruses. Formaldehyde can denature proteins, and it can also interact with the amino groups of nucleotides. This is not much different from the principle of carcinogenesis and carcass preservation by formaldehyde. It is also used in the vaccine production process to kill unwanted viruses and bacteria to prevent contamination of the vaccine.

It is worth mentioning that the upstream of formaldehyde is methanol, and the downstream is chemical products such as MDI and resin. This means that with the large investment in the research and development of the new crown vaccine, the price of related products in the formaldehyde industry chain will likely rise sharply.


Excipients: boost the caustic soda industry chain

In a qualified vaccine, preservatives, stabilizers and certain adjuvants are necessary. These are collectively referred to as excipients. Due to the sensitivity of the vaccine application, the excipients of the vaccine can be high-purity chemical preparations, and they do have an effect.

Adjuvants usually include metal salts, oils and biomolecules. Among metal salts, aluminum salts are more commonly used, which can promote the production of antibodies.

The surge in demand for aluminum salt (*refers to alumina) will affect the demand for caustic soda-related industry chains.


Vaccine bottle: borosilicate industry chain

According to reports, the particularity of the vaccine requires that the packaging material selected is borosilicate glass, mainly controlled injection bottles (commonly known as vials) and prefilled syringes. At present, China has more than 60 related packaging manufacturers. Among them, the manufacturers of controlled injection bottles for vaccines are mainly Ningbo Zhengli and Shuangfeng Greensheim. The prefilled syringe manufacturers mainly include Shandong Weigao and Ningbo Zhengli. , Shandong Pharmaceutical Glass, BD, etc.

Manufacture of borosilicate glass, mainly boron trioxide and silicon dioxide, added with sodium silicate sand, soda water and ground lime.