Thai-developed COVID-19 vaccine starts human trials

[A Los for words]

Good to see the first six guinea pigs standing up to volunteer.  Lead from the front. Well done. Now stand back and watch...

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, Ketyo said:

460 volunteers would be accepted for the human trials, 210 of whom would be used in the first phase.

 

460 isn't enough to test efficacy. There is a low level of COVID in Thailand. Out of 460 people none of them might catch COVID for ten years. If the 460 is just to test safety then its OK. But they will need a far bigger study to test efficacy. But even then the levels of COVID are so low in Thailand they should do the efficacy phase of testing in a country where there is a lot of COVID like Brazil. Thats the best way to see if it works quickly. But....

 

The vaccine, produced by Thais for Thais,

 

... So he should have said produced by Thais for Thais and tested by foreigners....

 

 

You're absolutely right, the test for efficacy is carried out in phase 3 trials and requires thousands of volunteers, it would be impossible to carry this out here in Thailand unless there was a huge rampant virus outbreak here similar to those which happened in the UK and Europe.

 

The only other option is another country that is still infected enough, but where is that going to be as phase 2 trials finish the end of this year and so the phase 3 would not start till early next year. Which country would want a Thailand trial running next year when they are already carrying out their vaccination plans?

[khunjeff]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

"The vaccine, produced by Thais for Thais, is expected to be used next year"

 

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The home-grown vaccine candidate is being developed by state drug maker, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), with Mahidol University's Tropical Medicine Department and an American non-profit

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The vaccine program is a cooperative venture between the GPO and the global health non-profit unit PATH. The inactivated virus vaccine prototype has been developed from the actual virus delivered last year from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the University of Texas; the virus was then disabled, losing its ability to cause the disease.

 

Prior to the human trials, this vaccine prototype was tested for toxicity in rats which took place in India, as well as tested for its effectiveness in triggering an immune response in hamsters in the United States.

 

I guess their definition of "home-grown" is somewhat different from mine.

[digger70]

17 hours ago, keith101 said:

That's perfectly OK but every Thai should have already been vaccinated by then, that's at least 9 months away and if they haven't been then the people in charge should be removed from office .

Thais know Best . they want to make sure that their vaccine is going to be better than some other countries   ???? . 

Or is't a copy that they trying to sell as their Own ? ????

[starky]

14 hours ago, Guderian said:

I'd regard a Thai vaccine with the same level of suspicion that I do the Chinese versions. That's not being racist or anti-Thai, far from it, but their attitudes to health and safety in all aspects of life are simply different from ours. 

3 posts on after people calling the OP racist.. Who is "ours" pray tell? TV posters?

[starky]

1 hour ago, Kelsall said:

Hopefully this vaccine when approved won't be the one mandated for annual visa extensions.

Shhhhhh. Don't give them any ideas. Bloody hell

[AlfHuy]

Give a free shot to all people, running the country. They deserve it.

[Docno]

Great - another use for fish sauce!

[Nanaplaza666]

Ingredients of the Thai vaccine

1.ganja leaves 

2.yaba

3.icemilk with ketamine

4.a lot of B.S 

[mickymouse1]

20 hours ago, keith101 said:

That's perfectly OK but every Thai should have already been vaccinated by then, that's at least 9 months away and if they haven't been then the people in charge should be removed from office .

How do you know?????????

[keith101]

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

The government has not announced a plan to vaccinate anywhere near nearly all Thais in that timeframe, or ever. If you've been following this, their goals are quite modest as far as percentages and speed. I have no idea why. 

Everything Thais do is at snails pace , i personally have never seen a Thai do anything at what i would call anywhere near fast its just not in them .

[berrec]

Hope their medical COVID vaccine solution efforts are more reliable then their IM online 90 day reporting solution efforts. 

[GeilGeilertzen]

20 hours ago, YetAnother said:

hint of racism there ? he might not even know that there are a couple hundred thousand of us non-thais (migrant workers aside) that live here for decades;

if he was competent, he would have qualified his statement with something like; 'others will be dealt with  later' at least acknowledging that there ARE others

Don’t worry.  Farangs will be included in this program..

as test bunnies. 

[chilli42]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the vaccine would give Thailand more options with less constraints.

 

"Even though we can produce vaccines in the country, it is from technology transfer and under management of brands," he told the news conference.

I admit that my knee jerk reaction is to dismiss out of hand anything K. Anutin says.

I am left wondering two things.  Might it not be a more practical approach and more effective use of resources to locally manufacture technologies developed elsewhere?  Versus developing and therefore duplicating the effort of other better financed companies/countries?  What is the strategic added value of a Thai developed vaccine?  As others have pointed out, it’s going to be well into next year when the Thai vaccine is ready to be deployed.  It seems possible that at the present rate of Covid virus mutation, vaccines that work against the current strains/mutations of the virus may no longer be effective by then.  Just because you can do something is not a sufficient reason to actually do it.

[Khunangkaro]

People die after vaccination in The Netherlands. 

https://www.ninefornews.nl/nederlanders-sterven-bij-bosjes-na-coronavaccin-hang-dit-niet-aan-de-grote-klok/

 

https://www.ninefornews.nl/nederlanders-die-in-bushes-after-corona-vaccine-don't-hang-this-on-the-big-clock /

 

 

[connda]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

COVID-19 vaccine development programs conducted by Thai scientists are now making progress, with a vaccine candidate using inactivated virus technology starting human trials today.

Nice to see a vaccine alternative to mRNA jabs which ethically should have never been given to the human population without years of testing.  The terms "Emergency Use" essentially means "can be used experimentally in live trials on the general public."  The average time it takes to roll out new vaccines is 5 to 10 years, not 10 months.

So, the inactivated virus technology, like Sinovac and this new Thai vaccine candidate, are based on a proven vaccination technology with decades of study.  So it's good to see this option.  Until there are 5 to 10 years of independent study of the mRNA vaccine technology I don't want them anywhere near me.  I'm not an "anti-vaxxer" but the only way I take mRNA vaccines is under duress but I will willingly take a vaccine based on proven inactivated virus technology.

[sandyf]

41 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

I admit that my knee jerk reaction is to dismiss out of hand anything K. Anutin says.

I am left wondering two things.  Might it not be a more practical approach and more effective use of resources to locally manufacture technologies developed elsewhere?  Versus developing and therefore duplicating the effort of other better financed companies/countries?  What is the strategic added value of a Thai developed vaccine?  As others have pointed out, it’s going to be well into next year when the Thai vaccine is ready to be deployed.  It seems possible that at the present rate of Covid virus mutation, vaccines that work against the current strains/mutations of the virus may no longer be effective by then.  Just because you can do something is not a sufficient reason to actually do it.

Like getting a franchise rather than create your own business.

[xr399]

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

OK, so this is by Thais for Thais.

So I'm assuming it will only be tested on Thais.

It seems to me that westerners should avoid this one if they have any other option. 

Think I might be more inclined to try this one, after hearing all the bad reactions and deaths directly attributed to taking some of the others!

[xr399]

1 hour ago, connda said:

Nice to see a vaccine alternative to mRNA jabs which ethically should have never been given to the human population without years of testing.  The terms "Emergency Use" essentially means "can be used experimentally in live trials on the general public."  The average time it takes to roll out new vaccines is 5 to 10 years, not 10 months.

So, the inactivated virus technology, like Sinovac and this new Thai vaccine candidate, are based on a proven vaccination technology with decades of study.  So it's good to see this option.  Until there are 5 to 10 years of independent study of the mRNA vaccine technology I don't want them anywhere near me.  I'm not an "anti-vaxxer" but the only way I take mRNA vaccines is under duress but I will willingly take a vaccine based on proven inactivated virus technology.

My thoughts exactly. mRNA injection is not a vaccine it is experimental gene therapy. They can put anything they want in it! The consequences  of which may not show up for many years. Not for me baby.  The Thai development method seems to me a better route. 

[Orton Rd]

What is the point of doing something which was completed in other countries last year when they have the right to start producing AstraZeneca here, when they can get around to it that is.

[talahtnut]

An injection of Ya Dong cures anyone of anything.

[KhunMorris]

I'd get some farang teaching staff on the program. Might do them good.

 

Sincerely 

 

Morris 

[Fex Bluse]

9 hours ago, AlQaholic said:

Why do they need human trials? It's just a copy of the already developed and trialed Chinese vaccine.

 

Thai peepun have Thai blood. Not same same you farang blood. 

[unblocktheplanet]

Bear in mind this vaccine is egg albumen-based inactivated SARS CoV-19. Unsuitable for many of us with immune issues.

[Nojohndoe]

Any vaccine made "under licence" remains the intellectual property of the original maker.

An independently developed vaccine even if using known methodology but a unique  base is new property/

AstraZ is only being  provided at cost for the short term which probably aggravates the shortfalls in demand.

If it is acknowledged that in reality Covid-19 is likely to continue to circulate for  years  to come in some variant then a domestic capacity to  produce evolving vaccines in the same way influenza ones are why any reason to decry the effort to be less reliant .

Developing ,and up-scaling, and maintaining  capacity to do so is a global lesson that this pandemic situation has taught .

Population growth continues despite a decrease in total fertility rates and is projected to do so until the end of this  century.......!

The unknown factor is that a pathogen could arise that would have the capacity to not only negate  but reverse that outcome and population density combined  with pollutive elements may assist that potential.

Covid-19  has anecdotally at least demonstrated a destructive  capacity on many of those areas  of the world  self considered to be  superior in  almost all measures as "1st world" that ironically have derived that status by extraction of it from developing  nations and now perhaps  are reaping the negative rewards.

False principles of humanitarianism in accord  with or in contradiction of  historical religious absolutism of any flavour is irrelevant in the longer term ( and perhaps even the  medium term)  to the impact of a potential pathogen born out of the combined quagmire of  selfish indulgent ignorance that the  human species has spawned and  fawned to an ideology that even when presented with the  evidence of  the inevitable  outcome is incapable of averting it even while declaring  the supposed  intelligence  to ridiculously  debate  it !

So ok , all good, Thailand  does what it does in accordance  to expectations same same as ...expectations.  Why not?

 

 

[Nojohndoe]

1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Bear in mind this vaccine is egg albumen-based inactivated SARS CoV-19. Unsuitable for many of us with immune issues.

Excuse me? Immune issues has  what relationship to  albumen allergic  response if that it  your  intended  reference?

[Artisi]

22 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I'm a little confused here

 

For a successful human vaccine trial the actual virus needs to be prevalent in the country where the trial takes place? Particularly the phase 3 trials which will need thousands of volunteers.

 

So where in Thailand will that be? 

There are two seperate issues with vaccine trials, 1 - side effects from the vaccine and 2, does it prevent the disease - - so what is Thailand going to test, very difficult to test effectiveness against a very low number of cases and little transmission, although the side effects is easily tested - - that what needs clarification and will save any confusion. 

[doomslayerxyz]

Is this the vaccine that costs 10 times more for farang? ????????

[spidermike007]

Just a bit late to the game. If this administration had taken the vaccination program seriously, from the beginning, the program would have already been rolled out, and the economic devastation might have lasted far less time. You know who I blame for this. Anutin has been in way over his head long before Covid came along.

 

Experience is always a good quality in a Health Minister. So is competence. Having him as the head of the nations health program, is a bit like asking Justin Bieber to head up the programs at JPL, or asking Brittany Spears to design the next Mars rover. 

[Mavideol]

On 3/22/2021 at 3:41 PM, webfact said:

"The vaccine, produced by Thais for Thais,

hope they will use some of the government cronies as guinea-pig (cobaye)