(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-02 23:56

BEIJING - China's food and drug regulators on Wednesday authorized a domestic pharmaceutical firm to begin commercial production of a human bird flu vaccine, following more than two years of clinical trials.

The firm, Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd. will produce vaccines to defend humans against the H5N1 virus and its epidemic variety.

According to Yin Weidong, general manager of the firm, Sinovac has the ability to produce new vaccines even if the virus mutates in humans.

China started clinical research and experiments as part of the process of making a vaccine in November 2005, after a domestic epidemic that caused huge losses for poultry breeders.

Since 2005, there have been 29 human cases reported, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.