With growing cases and deaths reported just as the country was preparing to ease some of its most restrictive COVID-19 measures, China takes new control steps amid low booster vaccine uptake and moves to halt the online sale of a repurposed domestic antiviral.

New planned changes around vaccine approvals and other COVID-19 measures signal China is preparing for a gradual reopening amid its strict policies, but the process could take months.

Codagenix hopes a 2023 data readout from its intranasal RSV vaccine will be an inflection point, even as GSK and Pfizer look to establish a lead in the segment. Meanwhile, a second cancer candidate has been added to Codagenix's preclinical pipeline and data for its COVID-19 vaccine and TNBC oncolytic virus are expected next year, CEO Robert Coleman tells Scrip.

Recent visits by foreign dignitaries and progress with local mRNA vaccines and antivirals appear to be helping some slight relaxations in China's strict COVID policies, but some experts predict it may still take months for further steps.