Currently, 70 different coronavirus vaccines are being developed worldwide, with three already undergoing human testing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

First in the clinical process is an experimental vaccine developed by Hong Kong-based CanSino Biologics Inc and the Beijing Biotechnology Institute, which is in its second phase of testing. The other two human-tested vaccines were developed separately by US pharmaceutical companies Moderna Inc and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc, show WHO documents.

Progress in developing the vaccine is developing at an unprecedented rate, as the infectious pathogen does not appear to be eradicated by restrictive measures alone. The pharmaceutical industry hopes to reduce the time it takes to put a vaccine on the market – which is typically 10 to 15 years, by the end of next year.

Against this background, small and large drug manufacturers are trying their chance to create a vaccine, which will be the most effective way to control the virus. Pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Sanofi also have candidates in preclinical stages, WHO documents show.

Last month, CanSino announced that it had received regulatory approval from Chinese regulators to begin testing its vaccine on humans. At the same time, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna – which has never marketed its product – was given permission in March to begin testing for humans in March, skipping the usual animal testing phase that could go on for years. Inovio, however, began its experiments with people last week.