On Apr. 16, 2020, Dynavax and Sinovac Biotech, a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced that they have entered into a collaboration to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The collaboration will evaluate the combination of Sinovac’s chemically inactivated coronavirus vaccine candidate, with Dynavax’s advanced adjuvant, CpG 101.

CpG 1018 is the adjuvant used in HEPLISAV-B® [Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted], an adult hepatitis B vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dynavax developed CpG 1018 to provide an increased vaccine immune response, which has been demonstrated in HEPLISAV-B. CpG 1018 provides a well‑developed technology and a significant safety database, potentially accelerating the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Additionally, CpG 1018 is manufactured using a highly automated, robust, scalable process capable of producing the large quantities required in a pandemic.

SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus identified in late 2019 and belongs to a family of enveloped RNA viruses that include MERS and SARS, both of which caused serious human infections of respiratory system.  The virus, which causes a disease named COVID-19, has never before been found in humans. Since this outbreak was first reported in late-2019, the virus has infected over 1.9 million people and has caused over 123,000 reported deaths (as of April 14, 2020). It has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Currently there is no vaccine available for COVID-19.