Article by Kavi Chongkittavorn

 

The Foreign Affairs and Public Health Ministries are working in tandem to ensure that Thailand will be the first ASEAN member to produce its own vaccines.

 

Tanee Saengrat, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson, said that during a recent strategic consultation between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Minister of Public Health Anutin Chanvirakun, the two ministries reaffirmed their joint effort to secure more vaccines from around the world. They also urged relevant agencies under their ministries to work closely together to get all the vaccines the country needs.

 

Tanee also said that if the ongoing trials of a locally made vaccine are successful, Thailand would become the first ASEAN member to originate its own vaccine. At the moment, several laboratories are conducting research and some are already conducted clinical trials. The ChulaCov19 vaccine is the most advanced to date.

 

The recent surge in infections and the discovery of new clusters in Bangkok and its adjacent areas, as well as other outbreaks in the provinces has resulted in the demand for vaccinations to soar. However, despite the government’s hope of procuring up to 110 million doses by the end of this year, supply has suffered due to growing demand around the world in response to the widespread Delta variant appearing in numerous countries.

 

Last week, the government of Bhutan offered 150,000 doses to Thailand under an agreement that will see Thailand return the same amount of vaccine to Bhutan in the future, as outlined in a memorandum of understanding.

 

Meanwhile, the ChulaCov19 vaccine, which has been developed by a team of doctors and scientists at Chulalongkorn University, is now entering the third phase of clinical trials. The research team is hoping that by the end of this year or early next year, the country will be able to start producing its own doses of an effective vaccine.

 

As of last week, infections in ASEAN had reached nearly 7 million, with Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand reporting the highest number of new cases. On Saturday, Thailand saw 20,571 cases.

 

As the regional center of manufacture, Thailand expected to produce at least 10 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine monthly, but has only been able to supply 5-6 million for the domestic market. So far, the country has managed to fully inoculate just 7.1% of its population and daily new infections are projected to double next month.

 

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-- © Copyright NNT 2021-08-23

 

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17 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand will be the first ASEAN member to produce its own vaccines.

And the LAST one to fully vaccinate it's populace !

why a spokesman for the foreign ministry is talking about locally made vax?

that it's not his expertise at all. Himself he is an IT guy.

Are they cooperate with some foreign academics on development?

are they buying a licence?

are they copying without authorisation?

what is an exact role of diplomats in those processes? espionage?

 

is it because dr Anutin is holed up at his rancho playing with some pinched donated pfizer and somebody else has to bring any good news in those desperate times?

Edited August 22, 20215 yr by internationalism

The French did this, Pasteur and Sanofi - didn't work out so well.

 

Don't count those chickens before they hatch!

 

 

 

Thailand could be first in ASEAN to produce vaccines... 

 

That no one will want. 

what could possibly go wrong 

 

Has Mr Anutin offered his services as a guinea pig in a trial - now that I would like to see, maybe he will get some affliction that seals his lips together, but seriously who in their right mind would volunteer for this, it would have to be either soldiers or inmates

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The research team is hoping that by the end of this year or early next year, the country will be able to start producing its own doses of an effective vaccine.

not holding my breath, Thailand has never produced their own effective named brand of anything.................ever, they are the hub of fake hubs

April has come and gone this year!

2 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

And the LAST one to fully vaccinate it's populace !

Now who will be brave [stupid] enough to try it?

they produce already Astra, and the new vaccine will be a little Astra, mixed with Sinovax, Pfizer, Sinopharm.... and see we have a new vaccine that we will test on our people and if the cases will survive we will send it to other countries

35 minutes ago, smedly said:

not holding my breath, Thailand has never produced their own effective named brand of anything.................ever, they are the hub of fake hubs

Up until about 2013 Thailand made high quality hard drives for other brand names, they also sold a lot of rice worldwide - then came some changes.

It does sound silly, doesn't it? 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Minister of Public Health Anutin Chanvirakun, the two ministries reaffirmed their joint effort to secure more vaccines from around the world. They also urged relevant agencies under their ministries to work closely together to get all the vaccines the country needs.

A year late but hey ho.... Thais are used to flexi-time.

Bhutan

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Last week, the government of Bhutan offered 150,000 doses to Thailand

I thought the Thai government went scrounging to them ?

Here they go again. Follow the money. 

The vaccines will be available on the ground floor of all second string shopping malls, right beside the genuine Gucci T-shirts and Vuitton handbags.

54 minutes ago, smedly said:

not holding my breath, Thailand has never produced their own effective named brand of anything.................ever, they are the hub of fake hubs

"Genuine Fake" you mean. We actually saw a sign on Samui advertising "genuine fake" Armani. 
Totally sums it up.

After begging Bhutan to donate some vaccines, they talk about producing them?

 

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Tanee also said that if the ongoing trials of a locally made vaccine are successful, Thailand would become the first ASEAN member to originate its own vaccine. At the moment, several laboratories are conducting research and some are already conducted clinical trials. The ChulaCov19 vaccine is the most advanced to date.

I am sure it will come as no shock to anyone if/when it turns out to be nearly identical to the AstraZeneca that is being produced under licence in Thailand

Thailand might be the first, but still a year late and millions of doses shy. Then there's still the question of how well these vaccines will work, compared with those tried and tested ones already in the market. Personally, I don't see a happy ending to this fairytale.

Before or after the space program?

 

 

3 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Personally, I don't see a happy ending to this fairytale.

I do..... but perhaps a crass comment from me.

1 hour ago, inThailand said:

Thailand could be first in ASEAN to produce vaccines... 

 

That no one will want. 

And will be treated in the same way that Thai Masters Degrees and Thai business qualifications are treated around the world. As irrelevant and not up to international standards.

2 minutes ago, Pravda said:

Before or after the space program?

 

 

 Need to establish the submarine fleet first, then space program, so it will take a while.

At last, an Asian first, a vaccine to cure verbal diarrea which will be tested for efficacy on the Minister for Verbal Diarrea, Anutin. 

It will be fine. Just pop down your local market and find the stall with all the viles out front labelled "COWID VACSINE".

Being first?  it is about making money isn't it with these leaders " medical hub "  I guess sooner or later they will catch up making the AZ and next year when they approved their own homemade generic Pfizer and Moderna that will be the only choice that equals $$$ meantime that theory the delay to resolve the current problem at hand is costing the greatest resource of their country and that is their own people!  The same reason they can't fix the death toll of accidents on the road is the same reason they drop the ball in getting vaccines.

1 hour ago, smedly said:

not holding my breath, Thailand has never produced their own effective named brand of anything.................ever, they are the hub of fake hubs

Hold on there smedly, their copy of Thai ED pill isn't bad?????

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

And the LAST one to fully vaccinate it's populace !

I wouldn’t be surprised if they was the most vaccinated ASEAN country by the end of the year. 

All pigs fed and ready to fly.