Human vaccine trials to start in Thailand next month

[webfact]

Human vaccine trials to start in Thailand next month

By The Phuket News

 

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, right, looks at solution samples on June 1 last year at the Siam Bioscience Group. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill.

 

THAILAND: Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed today (Feb 10) that Thailand will start clinical trials of a locally developed COVID-19 vaccine in March, the country’s first inoculation program to enter human trials.

 

Research on the program started in the middle of last year and initial testing on animals yielded positive results, Mr Anutin confirmed. The program is being driven by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health, and Mahidol University.

 

“Thailand isn’t just relying on one source for vaccines,” commented Mr Anutin.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/human-vaccine-trials-to-start-in-thailand-next-month-78964.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-02-10

 

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[keith101]

Is this going to be like the so called Super Polls and maybe just have a few hundred test subjects or will they do a proper testing with thousands of people . They will probably never tell the public anything a bit like not knowing how many were being tested daily for the virus because the Worldometers site were not given any numbers for a very long time to put on their site .

Edited February 10, 2021 by keith101

[NCC1701A]

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

that Thailand will start clinical trials of a locally developed COVID-19 vaccine in March,

and now you know why they are nicely saying that Expats will be getting the vaccine and it will be free. 

 

[RotBenz8888]

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Thailand isn’t just relying on one source for vaccines,” commented Mr Anutin.

 

Question is if Thailand should rely on him... 

[ThailandRyan]

Maybe this is why Thailand fell behind the curve on purchasing vaccines.  They wanted to show the world that the center of the Universe could take care of itself with its own vaccine, its own space shuttle, its own submarines, and for the world to fear them and their technological advancement over falangs and migrant workers.

[rcuthbert]

I know that, if Western labs do not use proper scientific method*, they could face civil/criminal penalties. Consequently, I will wait until their objective results become available.

 

*

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=proper+scientific+method

[WHansen]

32 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Maybe this is why Thailand fell behind the curve on purchasing vaccines.  They wanted to show the world that the center of the Universe could take care of itself with its own vaccine, its own space shuttle, its own submarines, and for the world to fear them and their technological advancement over falangs and migrant workers.

You have hit the nail on the head there mate.

[webfact]

Thailand to start human trials of locally developed COVID-19 vaccine in March

 

Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul

 

Thailand will begin the first stage of human trials in March of a new COVID-19 vaccine, which has been developed jointly by the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University and the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the media on Wednesday.

 

He said that the vaccine was developed in the middle of last year and put on animal trials, the results of which indicated a satisfactory ability to stimulate immunity in the test subjects, adding that the next step is human trial of the vaccine candidate.

 

After the completion of three phases of clinical trials, the developers will seek approval for the vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration, after which it will be produced locally by a Thai firm.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailand-to-start-human-trials-of-locally-developed-covid-19-vaccine-in-march/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-02-11

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Phuketshrew]

Most TVF members seem to be in the right demographic - any volunteers?

 

[Geoffggi]

I wonder how close the Thai vaccine is to the Chinese vaccine - (Copy/Paste) ................LOL

[Bkk Brian]

 Phase 1 trials only involves a few dozen volunteers and is focused on testing to see if they develop an immune response and for safety. Phase 2 is similar but with hundreds of people. The real test is:

 

Phase 3 which has thousands of volunteers 50% with vaccine shot and 50% with placebo. This stage will be months away if it ever reaches it and needs the virus to be highly prevalent in the community. Which countries would be willing to have thousands of their people tested with a Thailand home produced vaccine, even if they can find any countries that still have a high virus prevalence?

[rabas]

21 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

I wonder how close the Thai vaccine is to the Chinese vaccine - (Copy/Paste) ................LOL

 

The Chulalongkorn vaccine, ChulaCov19, is a state of the art mRNA vaccine like Pfizer's and Moderna.

 

Not sure what Anutin is referring to, he's easily confused,  Mahidol has extensive vaccine trial expertise.

 

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand will begin the first stage of human trials

and let the never-ending series of delays begin

[ThailandRyan]

Let the Som Tom Trials begin.  Anyone want theirs extra spicy, or with bala, different strengths for the different variants.  Wish them luck, but let the Government cronies and Junta be the trial group.

[internationalism]

This is yet another vax tested by chula uni. They have already one in phase one. 
 

but it's surpricing, that GPO was mentioned. They hadn't got capacity to do astrazeneca vax, just a few months ago, and contract went to siam biosciance, and now they position themselves as producers of the new vax. 
The issue of buying, producing vax in thailand is highly politicied by the government. 
that also might be the case with every new vax being tested in thailand. Which one will get the government support, and which won't depends to minister of health, who make decisions not based on merit, but on a whim
 

Edited February 11, 2021 by internationalism

[ThailandRyan]

11 minutes ago, internationalism said:

This is yet another vax tested by chula uni. They have already one in phase one. 
 

but it's surpricing, that GPO was mentioned. They hadn't got capacity to do astrazeneca vax, just a few months ago, and contract went to siam biosciance, and now they position themselves as producers of the new vax. 
The issue of buying, producing vax in thailand is highly politicied by the government. 
that also might be the case with every new vax being tested in thailand. Which one will get the government support, and which won't depends to minister of health, who make decisions not based on merit, but on a whim
 

That's also why the Home growing of Marijuana has started in Buriram, the DPM's home province.  Surprised he has not built a indoor grow operation, wait maybe he has.

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, rabas said:

 

The Chulalongkorn vaccine, ChulaCov19, is a state of the art mRNA vaccine like Pfizer's and Moderna.

 

Not sure what Anutin is referring to, he's easily confused,  Mahidol has extensive vaccine trial expertise.

 

The vaccine you are referring to ChulaCov19 is a separate one which is being developed in partnership with Chulalongkorn Uni and the University of Pennsylvania in the US, who sent the prototype to Thailand a few weeks ago.

 

This one is being developed with the Icahn School of medicine in New York, the GPO and Mahidol University. The vaccine is based on an egg based formula developed in the 1950's to ward off avian flu. The Bangkok Post has much better details on this in an article today. 

 

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

A bit more detail here and here...part of the shotgun approach I guess.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30402498?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

https://www.world-today-news.com/police-announces-first-test-of-covid-vaccine-in-thailand-this-march-preparing-to-accept-the-first-210-volunteers/

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

and now you know why they are nicely saying that Expats will be getting the vaccine and it will be free. 

 

Suddenly got that uneasy feeling

[Youlike]

Let's jab the farang first then we're sure they can't be spreading covid anymore!

[Emdog]

Buddha wept....

[ThailandRyan]

55 minutes ago, Emdog said:

Buddha wept....

.......a tear of the Thai Vaccine

[Dogmatix]

This is just for PR to make Thais feel proud that  they are capable of developing a vaccine and to deflect criticism from the dummy spitting health minister.  Actually there is no reason why Thai scientists should not be able to develop a vaccine, although they lack funding and cannot attract the best brains from around the world to their medical universities like Oxford can.  The problem is that they are very behind the curve and have no means to conduct phase 3 trials because no country with enough infections will agree to trail a Thai vaccine at this stage in the game.  If they were one of the first to have a vaccine ready for trials it might have been a different story. 

 

The Chula vaccine that Anutin asked a million Thais to contribute 500 baht each for seems to have gone quiet and must have hit problems. Around the middle of last year they were talking a big game about starting trials in foreign countries which actually have been doable, if they had got something past phase 1 and 2 trials soon after that. 

 

Since Mrs Dog was very pleased to be able to point out the TV news report that Thailand is about to trial its own vaccine, the PR is clearly working, although it is of the disposable type, which can be dumped without follow up in the same way as the fund raising campaign for the Chula vaccine. 

[Dogmatix]

One thing of note is that the GPO which I had thought was only noted for producing knock off copies like its Sidagra copy of Viagra is said to be highly experienced in producing flu vaccines.  In this case it seems odd that that the government didn't turn to its very own GPO to produce Astra Zeneca or another foreign brand vaccine for it, rather than turning to a small company which has only two anemia products and has no experience in vaccine production.  Perhaps some questions are better left unasked.

[Rancid]

Yeah, always wonder where they get these volunteers, the deluded that its actually safe or the very poor doing it for money. There was actually a very funny Two and a Half Men episode where one of the bothers was broke so got paid to take experimental drugs. I would feel a lot more confident if politicians, the wealthy and Pharma executives were the ones undergoing the trial.

[tomauasia]

So funny

[Emdog]

"Actually there is no reason why Thai scientists should not be able to develop a vaccine, although they lack funding and cannot attract the best brains from around the world to their medical universities like Oxford can."

Seems you provided two good reasons....

[John Drake]

On 2/11/2021 at 6:58 AM, rabas said:

 

The Chulalongkorn vaccine, ChulaCov19, is a state of the art mRNA vaccine like Pfizer's and Moderna.

 

Not sure what Anutin is referring to, he's easily confused,  Mahidol has extensive vaccine trial expertise.

 

 

Which one is derived from tobacco leaves?

[John Drake]

Some countries are wise enough to plan ahead with their international allies and secure the safety of their people. Other countries are not.  

Quote

The [Japanese] government has agreements in place with Pfizer, AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. to receive more than enough doses to cover Japan's population of 126 million.       https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/02/99923aab09a4-breaking-news-1st-batch-of-pfizer-covid-vaccine-arrives-in-japan-sources.html

 

[rabas]

38 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Which one is derived from tobacco leaves?

 

Using plants to quickly produce vast amounts of vaccine to save the world from future pandemics was first worked on by the US's DARPA in 2006,  the same place that gave us the internet and stealth bombers.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_expressed_vaccine

 

It's called plant expressed vaccines. Using tobacco in place of traditional chicken eggs not only drops the cost to near nothing but cuts the time from a new virus to vaccine from 6 months to 4-6 weeks.

 

A couple of British and American tobacco companies have been working on SARS2 vaccines. I think a Thai company is working on a similar project but it's not one of the 3 main Thailand candidates.

 

https://www.bat.com/group/sites/UK__9D9KCY.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DOBN8QNL