BANGKOK, Aug 13 (TNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspected the country’s new factory to produce a protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19.
The new factory was developed on the 11th floor that covers 1,200 square meters of Chulapat 14 building. Chulalongkorn University and Baiya Phytopharm Co developed it with a 160-million-baht budget from the National Vaccine Institute to produce a COVID-19 vaccine from tobacco leaves.
Mr Anutin said the development of the new vaccine started in February and it effectively stimulated immunity in its trials on mice and monkeys.
The new plant was constructed over the past eight months and would be the first local factory to produce vaccines from plants. The Food and Drug Administration certified its standard and the factory was ready to start its vaccine production, he said.
The first-phase human trials of the new vaccine would start early next month with about 100 people. If the project is successful, the production of the locally developed vaccine should begin in the third quarter of next year with the production capacity of 1-5 million doses per month or up to 60 million doses a year, Mr Anutin said. (TNA)
