China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by Yuxi Watson Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yunnan-based Walvax Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 300142), for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults aged 18 years and above. The vaccine, designated National Drug Approval Number S20260070, targets the Omicron JN.1 strain and represents the third successive mRNA COVID-19 vaccine iteration developed on Walvax's proprietary mRNA platform.

The approved product is administered as a 0.15 mL injection containing 30 µg of mRNA encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron JN.1 spike (S) protein, formulated in a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery system. Its mRNA molecular design, manufacturing process, and formulation are unchanged from the two prior generations — the S protein chimera vaccine and the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant vaccine — except for the antigen-encoding mRNA sequence.

The LNP-formulated mRNA instructs host cells to produce the JN.1 S protein antigen, stimulating neutralizing antibody and T cell responses without introducing live virus. The platform's modularity — swapping only the antigen-encoding mRNA sequence while retaining the same molecular architecture, process, and quality system — enables future strain updates based on WHO or Chinese public-health recommendations, as seen with Moderna's updated 2026-2027 formulations recently cleared by the US FDA.

Walvax's approval adds a domestically developed mRNA option to China's COVID-19 vaccine landscape, which has historically been dominated by inactivated and recombinant protein vaccines. The company reported that global mRNA COVID-19 vaccine sales exceeded USD 6 billion in 2025. Beyond COVID-19, Walvax said its mRNA platform has yielded clinical trial approvals for a respiratory syncytial virus mRNA vaccine and a freeze-dried herpes zoster mRNA vaccine, while therapeutic programs including tumor vaccines and in vivo CAR-T remain in preclinical development. The company said the approval is not expected to have a material impact on its financial performance in the current year.

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