BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) - China's international phase-3 clinical trials of four COVID-19 vaccine candidates have grabbed the attention of the West as mainstream foreign media covered the commencement of the trials.

Quoting China's National Health Commission, the Financial Times on Tuesday reported the incoming trials, while The New York Times also reported the go-ahead signal given to the trials, with its webpage tracking the latest development of the COVID-19 vaccine research.

Two inactivated COVID-19 vaccines developed by the China National Biotec Group, an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd., and a recombinant COVID-19 vaccine with the modified defective adenovirus as the vector have started international phase- 3 clinical trials.

Phase-3 clinical trials usually involve thousands of people to verify the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, and are key to their market approval. As the epidemic has been brought under control in China, the country no longer has conditions for large-scale clinical trials , so all the phase-3 trials are being carried out overseas.

Some of the trials are expected to conclude their first round of vaccinations in early September, with preliminary data expected as early as November.   ■