Drug maker KM Biologics, based in Kumamoto City, said on Feb. 18 that it had notified the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of the launch of clinical trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine. The company sent paperwork to PMDA on Feb. 17. It plans to start administering the vaccine in mid-March. In Japan, medical startup AnGes, based in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, and Shionogi & Co., headquartered in Osaka City, have already started clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines.

The vaccine developed by KM Biologics is an inactivated vaccine, meaning it does not contain any live virus. The vaccine was developed jointly with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and others. KM Biologics will administer either the vaccine or a placebo to participants in clinical trials to determine its safety and effectiveness.