Thailand: Researchers plan to begin human trials of potential COVID-19 vaccine

While scientists around the globe are struggling to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, researchers in Thailand are planning to begin human trials in November of a potential vaccine for the deadly virus. According to an international media outlet, Thai researchers are preparing 10,000 doses so that a vaccine could be ready for use by late next year. Kiat Ruxrungtham, director of the Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University vaccine development program, said that the results of the trials on primates have been ‘favourable’ and now the next step is to manufacture doses for human trails. 

While 10 candidates are being trailed in humans globally, Kiat said that the trials will not accept volunteers until the facility receives approval from the Thai Food and Drug Administration and an ethics committee. Further, the director of vaccine development program said that the Thai company BioNet-Asia is preparing its facilities for large-scale manufacturing if the trials prove successful. 

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Thailand’s first facility is expected to complete production of doses in October and then send the products to the second facility, which should finish by November. While speaking at a news conference, Kiat said that the officials had earlier planned to complete the manufacturing by June, however, ‘it was not easy to plan everything’. He also added that originally the earliest target to start human trails was September but not enough vaccine could have been ready by then. 

Kiat said, “If everything goes according to plan, the vaccine will be ready for Thailand in the third or fourth quarter next year”. 

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China starts phase III trials 

Meanwhile, China is leading the race with an experimental vaccine by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Earlier this month, the Chinese company announced that it was entering the phase III clinical trials sponsored by Instituto Butantan, Brazil, to test the efficacy of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. As one of the three pharmaceutical companies to reach the late stages of trials, Sinovac said it will recruit over 9,000 healthcare professionals to speed up the process to invent the potential cure for the COVID-19. 

In collaboration with Butantan, a leading Brazilian producer of immunobiological products and vaccines, Sinovac has been given the approval to run the widescale trials by the Brazilian National Regulatory Agency, Anvisa. The human trials aim to be pivotal for the licensure of the product as Anvisa already reviewed the manufacturing and clinical information of the coronavirus vaccines. According to reports, Anvisa conducted the highest standards review of vaccines as it is a member of the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (“ICH”). 

(Image: AP)

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