Saudi Arabia said this month it plans to begin Phase III clinical trials for the CanSino vaccine. CanSino has said it is also in talks with Russia, Brazil and Chile to launch Phase III trials in those countries.

Pandemic-related claims for vaccines will be routed to a rarely used USA federal program set up to encourage drugmakers to help combat public health emergencies. It spares pharmaceutical and device makers from costly liability lawsuits in exchange for taxpayers compensating injured patients — though it doesn’t guarantee there’s funding to do so.“We want people vaccinated and we don’t want to expose pharmaceutical companies to the kind of liability that they would otherwise have,” said Brent Johnson, a partner with Holland & Hart, who defends corporate clients. “That’s the price we’re willing to pay to get rid of this horrible coronavirus problem.”