In an effort to help control Hepatitis A, Sinovac Biotech Ltd. has announced that they will initiate a clinical trial of its new inactivated Hepatitis A vaccine Healive in Ukraine. The trials are scheduled to start sometime in September. The trials are being conducted by Biolik Biopharmaceutical Co. which is based out of Kharkov, Ukraine, where the vaccine manufacturer is located. The company is hoping to get regulatory approval in Ukraine for use among the population in an effort to stave off any outbreak of the Hepatitis A infection. Biolik will also be marketing and distributing the vaccine in Ukraine and the vaccine has a marketing opportunity of $10 million or more.
The trials will include around 300 adult citizens and 200 children. The initial dosing will include a follow-up vaccine approximately six months after the first dose is given. Biolik expects the trial to take between nine months to a year for completion. If the trial shows positive results, Biolik will go for regulatory approval. There is the potential of international sales if the vaccine proves effective in stopping the spread of Hepatitis A among citizens of Ukraine and could prove to be an economic boon for the both the country and international medical community.
