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The Indonesian food and drugs agency (BPOM) said on Thursday it has approved the emergency use of an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine developed by China's Walvax Biotechnology.

It is the first authorization for a China-developed Covid shot based on the novel mRNA technology, which Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna also use in their Covid vaccines, after more than two years of development.

The AWcorna shot, which is designed based on the original strain of the coronavirus, has yet to generate efficacy readings from large trials to show how well it can reduce the risk of Covid cases and deaths from the disease.

China has not yet authorized local use of the shot, previously known as ARCoV.

Walvax co-developed the vaccine with Suzhou Abogen Biosciences and a Chinese military-backed institution.

The two firms are also separately working on their own coronavirus variant-targeting candidates based on the mRNA technology.

(Reuters)

Boxes of Walvax Biotechnology's messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are seen displayed at a trade fair in Shanghai, China. (Reuters)

China Walvax's mRNA Covid vaccine obtains first approval overseas