CanSino Biologics
Chinese biotechnology company focused on the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of vaccines.
Last updated October 12, 2026
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Overview
CanSino Biologics, also known as CanSinoBIO, is a Chinese biotechnology company headquartered in Tianjin and focused on vaccine research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization. The company was established in 2009 by Yu Xuefeng, Zhu Tao, Qiu Dongxu, and Helen Mao Huihua. Its business has centered on vaccine platforms and candidates addressing infectious diseases, including Ebola and COVID-19, rather than on a broad pharmaceutical portfolio. A significant part of CanSino's development has involved partnerships and internationally oriented research. The company began collaborating with Canada's National Research Council in 2013, and the relationship included work on an Ebola vaccine. One of its principal research programs was Ad5-EBOV, an adenovirus-vector candidate intended to help prevent Ebola. The company's use of viral-vector technology later became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. CanSino entered public markets during a period of rapid expansion in China's biotechnology sector. In July 2018 it submitted an application to list in Hong Kong. Its Hong Kong Stock Exchange debut took place on 28 March 2019, when the shares rose 59 percent on the first trading day, described in the cited reference as the strongest first-day gain in Hong Kong since 2017. In August 2020, the company completed a secondary offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market, raising approximately 5.2 billion yuan, or about US$750 million at the time. The company's most internationally visible product is Ad5-nCoV, marketed as Convidecia. It is a single-dose adenovirus-vector COVID-19 vaccine. Phase III testing began in late 2020 across Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, with approximately 40,000 participants. Reported interim global results covering 101 COVID-19 cases indicated 65.7 percent efficacy against moderate disease and 91 percent efficacy against severe disease. The vaccine's one-dose schedule and ability to be stored under ordinary refrigerator conditions were important practical attributes, particularly for vaccination programs with logistical constraints. Convidecia received emergency-use approval or authorization in a number of countries and was included in the World Health Organization's emergency-use framework. CanSino also pursued an inhaled formulation of its COVID-19 vaccine. Clinical trials for the inhaled version began in April 2021, and inhaled booster vaccinations began to be rolled out in China in October 2022. The company planned production for China and international manufacturing arrangements involving Malaysia, Mexico, and Pakistan, with a reported target of up to 500 million Ad5-nCoV doses during 2021. CanSino's brand positioning is therefore associated with China-based vaccine innovation, adenovirus-vector technology, pandemic-response capability, and the development of products that may offer administration or storage advantages. Its disclosed investor base has included Lilly Asia Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners, and SDIC Fund Management. The available reference material does not establish a complete current product portfolio, current executive roster, or detailed post-pandemic commercial performance, so those areas require further verification.
History
CanSino Biologics was founded in Tianjin in 2009 by Yu Xuefeng, Zhu Tao, Qiu Dongxu, and Helen Mao Huihua. From its beginning, the company was organized as a vaccine-focused biotechnology enterprise, concentrating on research programs for infectious diseases and on technology platforms that could support the development of multiple preventive vaccines. The company's international research profile expanded through cooperation with Canada's National Research Council. The two organizations began working together in 2013, and their collaboration included development work related to an Ebola vaccine. CanSino's Ad5-EBOV program became one of the identifiable elements of its pre-COVID vaccine pipeline and illustrated the company's interest in adenovirus-vector approaches for serious infectious diseases. CanSino's transition from a private biotechnology company to a publicly financed enterprise began with its Hong Kong listing process. It filed an application for a Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing in July 2018. The company debuted on 28 March 2019, and its shares gained 59 percent on the first trading day. The listing provided access to public-market capital and increased the company's visibility among biotechnology investors. Investors identified in the reference material included Lilly Asia Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners, and SDIC Fund Management. In August 2020, CanSino completed a secondary offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market. The offering raised approximately 5.2 billion yuan, described at the time as about US$750 million. The dual-market financing structure gave the company additional capital during a period in which vaccine research and manufacturing capacity had become strategically important in China and internationally. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated CanSino's development of Ad5-nCoV, later marketed as Convidecia. The vaccine uses an adenovirus vector and was designed as a single-dose product. Large Phase III trials began in late 2020 in Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, with about 40,000 participants. Reported interim results based on 101 COVID-19 cases suggested 65.7 percent efficacy against moderate disease and 91 percent efficacy against severe disease. Its one-dose schedule and refrigerator storage requirements were presented as practical advantages for public-health programs. Convidecia subsequently received authorization or emergency-use approval in several countries in Asia and Latin America and in Hungary. It was also included in the World Health Organization's emergency-use listing framework. CanSino planned production in China and through arrangements involving Malaysia, Mexico, and Pakistan, with a stated 2021 production-capacity target of up to 500 million doses. The company continued to develop alternative delivery methods for the same vaccine platform. In April 2021 it began clinical trials of an inhaled COVID-19 vaccine formulation. Inhaled booster vaccinations began in China in October 2022. This work gave CanSino a distinctive product-development narrative during the pandemic, combining a single-dose injectable vaccine with an inhaled booster approach. The available source material presents CanSino as an active Chinese vaccine biotechnology company with a portfolio that includes marketed or authorized COVID-19 products and research-stage programs for diseases such as Ebola. It does not provide a sufficiently detailed current account of all commercial products, current executives, ownership, or operations after the cited COVID-19 milestones. Those areas should be updated from company filings and regulatory sources before treating this dossier as complete.
- 2022
Inhaled booster rollout in China
[1]China began using inhaled boosters based on CanSino's COVID-19 vaccine platform.
- 2021
Interim Convidecia efficacy results
[1]Reported Phase III results indicated 65.7 percent efficacy against moderate disease and 91 percent efficacy against severe disease.
- 2021
Inhaled vaccine trials begin
[1]CanSino started clinical trials for an inhaled formulation of its COVID-19 vaccine.
- 2020
Shanghai STAR Market offering
[1]The company completed a secondary offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market and raised approximately 5.2 billion yuan.
- 2020
Convidecia Phase III trials
[1]The Ad5-nCoV COVID-19 vaccine entered Phase III trials in five countries with approximately 40,000 participants.
- 2019
Hong Kong Stock Exchange debut
[1]CanSino began trading in Hong Kong on 28 March, with the share price rising 59 percent on its first day.
- 2018
Hong Kong listing application
[1]The company filed an application to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
- 2013
Collaboration with Canada's National Research Council
[1]CanSino and the National Research Council of Canada began collaborating on vaccine development, including work connected with Ebola.
- 2009
Company founded in Tianjin
[1]CanSino Biologics was established by Yu Xuefeng, Zhu Tao, Qiu Dongxu, and Helen Mao Huihua.
Products and positioning
A Chinese vaccine biotechnology company positioned around proprietary vaccine platforms, adenovirus-vector research, infectious-disease prevention, and scalable pandemic-response manufacturing.
COVID-19 vaccine
Convidecia (Ad5-nCoV)
Convidecia is CanSino's adenovirus-vector COVID-19 vaccine. It was developed as a single-dose product and entered large Phase III trials in Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia in late 2020. Reported interim data indicated protection against moderate and severe disease. Its one-dose schedule and ordinary refrigerator storage requirements were emphasized as operational advantages for vaccination campaigns. The vaccine received authorization or emergency-use approval in several countries and was included in the World Health Organization's emergency-use listing framework.
COVID-19 booster vaccine · 2022
Inhaled Convidecia
Inhaled Convidecia is an alternative-delivery formulation of CanSino's COVID-19 vaccine platform. Clinical trials began in April 2021, exploring administration through inhalation rather than injection. Inhaled booster vaccinations began in China in October 2022. The approach was intended to provide a needle-free booster option and represented one of CanSino's most distinctive COVID-19 product-development initiatives.
Ebola vaccine candidate
Ad5-EBOV
Ad5-EBOV is an adenovirus-vector vaccine candidate intended to prevent Ebola. The program was associated with CanSino's collaboration with Canada's National Research Council, which began in 2013. It represents an earlier infectious-disease research program in the company's pipeline and demonstrates the use of the adenovirus-vector platform before CanSino's better-known COVID-19 vaccine program.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2021
Develop an inhaled COVID-19 vaccine formulationGeneration changeBackground
CanSino pursued an alternative administration route for its COVID-19 vaccine platform in addition to the injectable single-dose product.
Action taken
The company began clinical trials for an inhaled formulation in April 2021.
Aftermath
Inhaled booster vaccinations based on the platform began in China in October 2022.
2020
Advance Ad5-nCoV into multinational Phase III testingProduct launchBackground
Following the development of its adenovirus-vector COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CanSino moved to large international efficacy testing during the pandemic.
Action taken
The company conducted Phase III trials in Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia with approximately 40,000 participants.
Aftermath
The trials generated the interim efficacy figures later reported for Convidecia and supported subsequent authorizations in several markets.
2020
Expand vaccine manufacturing capacity and international productionStrategyBackground
The pandemic created demand for large-scale COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and distribution.
Action taken
CanSino planned production in China and through manufacturing arrangements involving Malaysia, Mexico, and Pakistan, with a reported 2021 capacity target of up to 500 million doses.
Aftermath
The plan was intended to support domestic and international supply, although the available reference does not document the final realized capacity.
Recent events
CanSinoBIO receives EU GMP certification for Convidecia[8]
Reported:
CanSinoBIO's Convidecia COVID-19 vaccine received a Good Manufacturing Practice certificate from Hungary's National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition after an inspection of the company's vaccine production.
- Unconfirmed
JD Health and CanSino enter strategic partnership[9]
JD Health and CanSino entered a strategic partnership to jointly develop an online vaccine service platform. The article says a CanSino vaccine was planned to debut on JD Health after approval.
Shanghai Pharmaceuticals and CanSino Biologics sign strategic cooperation agreement[10]
Reported:
Shanghai Pharmaceuticals and CanSino Biologics signed a strategic cooperation agreement covering vaccine research and development, production and capacity expansion, materials reserves, and supply-chain development. The agreement also provides for nationwide vaccine storage, distribution, and supply-chain services.
Pfizer and CanSino vaccine collaboration[11]
Reported:
Pfizer and CanSino are collaborating, with Pfizer's vaccine promotion team joining the collaboration.
CanSino proposes an A-share offering and STAR Market listing[12]
Reported:
CanSino Biologics announced a proposal to apply to relevant Chinese regulators to issue up to 24.8 million A shares and seek approval for their listing and trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market.
Sources14 sources
- 1CanSino Biologics - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 2CanSino Biologics corporate websitecansinotech.com
- 3康希诺生物产品页cansinotech.com
- 4CanSino Biologics - Wikidatawikidata.org
- 5康希诺 - 维基百科zh.wikipedia.org
- 6新冠疫苗大量退货及资产减值引发监管问询hkexnews.hk
- 7新冠疫苗大量退货及资产减值引发监管问询jiemian.com
- 8CanSinoBIO的Convidecia获得欧盟GMP认证prnewswire.com
- 9京东健康与康希诺达成战略合作finance.jrj.com.cn
- 10上海医药与康希诺生物签署战略合作协议finance.sina.com.cn
- 11辉瑞与康希诺开展疫苗合作finance.sina.com.cn
- 12康希诺生物拟发行 A 股并申请科创板上市finance.sina.com.cn
- 13康希诺生物-B拟申请科创板IPO上市 拟融资约10亿元finance.sina.com.cn
- 14上海医药与康希诺生物签署战略合作 携手推进疫苗产业化及供应链服务_行业综合_行业_中金在线hy.stock.cnfol.com
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