TRIALS FOR THAI VACCINE BEGIN
BANGKOK: Thailand has started the first human trials of a domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine and expects its rollout to start next year.
The vaccine is being developed by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) using egg-based technology.
According to a Bangkok Post report, the GPO had been working on the project with Mahidol University’s Tropical Medicine Department, the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health which is an American non-profit organisation, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
They have developed a pilot NDV-HXP-S vaccine, with lab tests showing promising results.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the development of the home-grown vaccine was a significant step for the country’s public health, as it would enable Thailand to be selfreliant and manage its Covid-19 response strategy more effectively.
The data collected from the human trials will be used to apply for registration with the Thai Food and Drug Administration to commence industrial production at the GPO’s vaccine production plant in Saraburi’s Kaeng Khoi district.
He said the plant already had egg-based technology to make flu vaccines, which will be adjusted to produce Covid-19 vaccines.
“Production is expected to begin next year, with an estimated 25 to 30 million doses annually.
“Even though we can produce vaccines in the country, it is from technology transfer and under management of the owners of the brands and technology,” Anutin said.
Mahidol University president Dr Banchong Mahaisavariya said the first and second phases of human trials will be to test the safety of the vaccine and its ability to trigger immunity.
Some 460 volunteers would be recruited for the human trials, with 210 people aged between 18 and 59 taking part in the first phase.
Phase two is expected to begin in July, involving 250 volunteers aged between 18 and 75.
He said results are expected to be known by the end of the year.
Dr Punnee Pitisuttithum, head of the Vaccine Trial Centre at Mahidol University’s Tropical Medicine Department, said that the first human trial was conducted on four volunteers on Monday.