Thai start-up making ‘good progress’ on Covid vaccine

By The Nation

 

 

A Thai pharmaceutical start-up will today sign a deal to produce experimental doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for use in human trials.

 

Baiya Phytopharm is among several Thai organisations making progress towards a vaccine for the virus, said State Enterprise Development Planning Subcommittee chairman Thewin Wongwanich on Monday.

 

Thailand has already signed a Bt6 billion procurement deal for 26 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, but is also building up its own vaccine research programmes.

 

"One of those with a high success rate is Baiya Phytopharm, a Thai start-up founded by researchers from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences whose vaccine from plant leaves has passed tests on laboratory animals," said Thewin, who is also the former CEO of PTT.

 

Baiya Phytopharm will today sign a deal to collaborate with the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and Kingen Biotech to produce vaccines and conduct tests on humans from April to June next year, he said.

 

He added that Baiya Phytopharm will launch a Bt500 million fundraising project on Friday (December 18).

 

"We would like to invite Thais to donate Bt500 each via CU Enterprise to support Thai researchers," he said.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/lifestyle/30399580

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-12-14

 

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22 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

conduct tests on humans from April to June next year, he said.

Although this gives some hope, I am afraid that they will be kind of late in the race but the fact this vaccine is based on plant extraction makes it look attractive and I am not a vaccine advocate.

 

29 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai start-up making ‘good progress’ on Covid vaccine

good progress in thailand means getting your picture in the media and saying all these nice,soft words; facts not allowed

Who will be left to test it on? Lots of under 21's I suppose, but most everyone else will have been vaccinated by then

2 Months ago they stated they had a vaccine, and it was in its third stage of trials,, so what happened to that vaccine, or were they just dreaming as usual... 

Based on a brief Google, plant based vaccines seem quite innovative and hardly used, even on a global basis. It’s not impossible, but I am doubtful that Thailand has the capability to suddenly become a world leader on this.

The cynic in me sees this as more of a sales pitch for people to contribute to their THB 500m funding drive. If the preliminary tests were that positive, surely the Thai government, a canny angel investor or big pharma should be funding this?

 

 

 

 

Quote

Thailand has already signed a Bt6 billion procurement deal for 26 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, but is also building up its own vaccine research programmes.

 

AstraZeneca vaccine is said to cost $3-4 per dose wouldn't that be a total of ~$100 million ~Bt 3 billion  with 26 million doses ordered?

And why only 26 million doses for 13 million people?

Wouldn't 70% of the population of Thailand need to be vaccinated about 47 million people to achieve "herd immunity"?

 

The idea of using Bt500 million  to develop a solid vaccine and start the third phase trial when there will probably be 6-7 well working vaccines already, I will not comment further ...

 

10 hours ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

2 Months ago they stated they had a vaccine, and it was in its third stage of trials,, so what happened to that vaccine, or were they just dreaming as usual... 

Maybe they were talking about AstraZenica that (as I understand) will produce the vaccine in Thailand