Thailand goes full steam ahead in hunt for Covid-19 vaccine

[webfact]

Thailand goes full steam ahead in hunt for Covid-19 vaccine

By THE NATION

 

 

Several health organisations in Thailand and other countries have speeded up operations to find a way of dealing with the Covid-19 contagion, with up to 70 candidate vaccines being developed by companies registered with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 

Vitoon Vonghangool, president of Thailand’s BioNet-Asia, said if the vaccine currently being tested on rats proves to be effective, tests on humans will be held before it is put in for registration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 

“This operation will be under the supervision of the Public Health Ministry, though the progress will also be reported to WHO,” he said.

 

He added that the company has spent about Bt200 million on materials for the vaccine development, and expects to spend another Bt1 billion on human trials and to register with the FDA.

 

“We initially aimed to only produce the vaccine for medical personnel before cooperating with the authorities to expand the production,” he said.

 

Dr Nakorn Premsir, director of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), said the institute has signed a contract with a leading university in China to conduct tests on the vaccine, which should be completed in the second half of this year.

 

“This university has already developed many vaccines,” he said. “We are also negotiating cooperation in vaccine development with other organisations in China, South Korea, Japan, US, and Germany.”

 

He added that NVI in collaboration with the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has granted funds for vaccine research in Thailand as well.

 

Meanwhile, Dr Marut Jirasetthasiri, director-general of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Department, has said that the herb kariyat (Andrographis Paniculata) is believed to ease the symptoms of Covid-19.

 

“The department’s human research ethics committee will first consider this before it is proposed to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute’s human research ethics committee within this week,” he said, adding that the herb will be tested on six patients for five days first.

 

“We will study the patients’ symptoms, safety and effectiveness,” he said. “The department will also cooperate with the Chulabhorn Research Institute to investigate the cause of lung and heart failure in Covid-19 patients.”

 

Dr Yong Poovorawan, an expert virologist at Chulalongkorn University, said that of 230 people who have recovered from Covid-19, eight are eligible to donate blood plasma.

 

“Each former patient can donate up to 600cc of plasma based on their body weight. Up to three 250cc bags of blood plasma will be needed to treat one Covid-19 patient,” he said.

 

He added that the donors must be between 17 and 60 in age, weigh more than 50 kilograms and must be free of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or high-blood pressure.

 

“The donors must also test negative for Covid-19,” he added.

 

Separately, Sirikul Matevelungsun, deputy managing director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), said that Thailand is set to receive 303,860 tablets of Favipiravir within May.

 

“Of the shipment, 103,860 tablets will come from Japan, which was originally scheduled to be delivered in April, while another 200,000 tablets will come from China,” she said.

 

“GPO and the Department of Disease Control recently procured 187,000 tablets of Favipiravir from different sources.”

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30387270

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-05

 

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[Yankeesvsredsox]

If Thailand comes to the rescue ! Medical tourism should sky rocket,I would think

[tribalfusion001]

Looks everyone wants to create a vaccine first, surely would be better to pool resources together. Either way I'll pass until it has been tested for at least 1 or 2 years.

[bodga]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“We are also negotiating cooperation in vaccine development with other organisations in China, South Korea, Japan, US, and Germany.”

To sum up then we are asking  everyone to give us their vaccine info to try= full  speed   ahead.

[ChrisY1]

I would have thought a slow, methodical and learned way forward would have been preferred than a full steam ahead approach.

But, they did design the ebola vaccine here..(well so they said)...and probably many more, that just have not come to light...yet!

[jaiyen]

I wouldn't be surprised if China already has a vaccine. They were the ones who made the corona virus.

 

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“The donors must also test negative for Covid-19,” he added.

Unless things have changed, testing accuracy has been between 50-70% accurate.  Not something on which you can base any scientific findings.  

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

companies registered with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Don't think the WHO did a good job.  Taiwan did an amazing job with no lock downs and an excellent response.  The WHO's reputation has been badly tarnished.  

[quake]

3 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Looks everyone wants to create a vaccine first, surely would be better to pool resources together. Either way I'll pass until it has been tested for at least 1 or 2 years.

True, but would anyone want that from Thailand.

i doubt it.

[mfd101]

Just laughable.

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Looks everyone wants to create a vaccine first, surely would be better to pool resources together. Either way I'll pass until it has been tested for at least 1 or 2 years.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52525387

[steven100]

ISRAEL has developed a COVID-19 vaccine that works .....

 

https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-vaccine-israel-identifies-key-antibody-neutralises-covid19/992427f4-cdf1-4773-898c-c4375a3b250d

 

Israel claims to have completed the development phase of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the country's Defence Ministry.

A research lab in the Israeli city of Ness Ziona says they've identified a key antibody that attacks the virus and neutralises it.

The Israeli Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) is now looking to secure a contract with an international manufacturer for the commercial development of the vaccine.

Mr Bennett said the "antibody attacks the virus in monoclonal way," which is seen as a more potent treatment, as it is derived from a single cell.

[steven100]

5 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Looks everyone wants to create a vaccine first, surely would be better to pool resources together. Either way I'll pass until it has been tested for at least 1 or 2 years.

no ..... you can't pass on it ,  you have to try it as soon as it's available to see if it works

[phantomfiddler]

Today,s Bangkok Post,s Headline, "False positives in 40 cases" fills me with the greatest confidence that there is someone out there who knows what is going on ????

[smedly]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Nakorn Premsir, director of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), said the institute has signed a contract with a leading university in China to conduct tests on the vaccine, which should be completed in the second half of this year.

my interpretation

 

China are looking for human test subjects - Thailand is always ready and willing for a fee 

 

I don't care what FDA in Thailand says about approvals etc I will not be getting any vaccine produced in Thailand or China - I will fly home and get it there 

 

 

[smedly]

9 hours ago, Yankeesvsredsox said:

If Thailand comes to the rescue ! Medical tourism should sky rocket,I would think

yes come to Thailand and get your CV-19 vaccine while you holiday lol

 

how wonderful

[rasmus5150]

29 minutes ago, smedly said:

yes come to Thailand and get your CV-19 vaccine while you holiday lol

 

how wonderful

That's not really strange.....

Thousands of people come to Thailand for medical tourism. Move fat from thighs to bum, facelift, check-ups, dentist procedures - so why not a Covid vaccine?

 

It's a multi million dollar industry....

[rwill]

Oh come on Thailand.  Why waste time on a vaccine when you kind find the cure?

 

[Boomer6969]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

yes come to Thailand and get your CV-19 vaccine while you holiday lol

 

how wonderful

.. and exciting to die from its side effects.

 

(no lol)

[smedly]

56 minutes ago, rasmus5150 said:

That's not really strange.....

Thousands of people come to Thailand for medical tourism. Move fat from thighs to bum, facelift, check-ups, dentist procedures - so why not a Covid vaccine?

 

It's a multi million dollar industry....

are you going to get one made in Thailand 

[ParkerN]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

are you going to get one made in Thailand 

 

Oh please God help me.

 

It's another face-palm moment. Yep, another one.

 

Just when you thought they couldn't possibly get more lame...

 

 

[DirtyHarry55]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

ISRAEL has developed a COVID-19 vaccine that works .....

 

https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-vaccine-israel-identifies-key-antibody-neutralises-covid19/992427f4-cdf1-4773-898c-c4375a3b250d

 

Israel claims to have completed the development phase of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the country's Defence Ministry.

A research lab in the Israeli city of Ness Ziona says they've identified a key antibody that attacks the virus and neutralises it.

The Israeli Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) is now looking to secure a contract with an international manufacturer for the commercial development of the vaccine.

Mr Bennett said the "antibody attacks the virus in monoclonal way," which is seen as a more potent treatment, as it is derived from a single cell.

The US also already started testing a Vaccine on Humans.
Hopefully whoever make one first shares it with the rest of the World.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-16/coronavirus-vaccine-test-opens-as-us-volunteer-gets-1st-shot

[ParkerN]

1 hour ago, DirtyHarry55 said:

The US also already started testing a Vaccine on Humans.
Hopefully whoever make one first shares it with the rest of the World.

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-16/coronavirus-vaccine-test-opens-as-us-volunteer-gets-1st-shot

 

It seems that Trump isn't the only (regarded as) disreputable national leader trying to get a timely shift in the public's attention.

Edited May 5, 2020 by ParkerN

[DirtyHarry55]

27 minutes ago, ParkerN said:

 

It seems that Trump isn't the only (regarded as) disreputable national leader trying to get a timely shift in the public's attention.

mmm not sure I understand but anyway the UK also have a Vaccine that's in early human testing stages possible ready by September but who knows.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52394485
 

[KKr]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand is set to receive 303,860 tablets of Favipiravir

so Thailand will participate in the controlled testing of this influenza medication ?

[Skeptic7]

Can't believe they haven't announced a nonexistent vaccine already...like many other bogus claims in the past! 

[rasmus5150]

7 hours ago, rasmus5150 said:

That's not really strange.....

Thousands of people come to Thailand for medical tourism. Move fat from thighs to bum, facelift, check-ups, dentist procedures - so why not a Covid vaccine?

 

It's a multi million dollar industry....

 

6 hours ago, smedly said:

are you going to get one made in Thailand 

Why not?

I am going to the Thai Dentist & Thai Doctor.

 

If I can get generic (copy) medicine produced in India for 1/5 of the price, I'll take that anytime.........