Govt announces Bt2 billion for bird flu vaccine factory

BANGKOK: -- The government today edged closer to introducing a vaccine against the avian flu virus in humans by pledging Bt2 billion for a production and development plant, promising that Thailand would have a vaccine for use within the next 3-5 years.

Although the introduction of a vaccine in chickens has proved highly controversial, the government has always entertained vaccines for humans as one possible option to prevent the pandemic from spreading, and the Department of Medical Sciences is currently working with the National Science and Technology Development Agency on a vaccine using the principle of reverse genetics to weaken the virus.

Today Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said that international pharmaceutical countries had failed to carry out research into vaccines for a disease which mainly threatened developing nations, and that Thailand would have to go it alone to produce a vaccine for domestic use.

He also dismissed suggestions that Thailand might work to develop the vaccine in conjunction with other countries in the region, noting that by the time a cooperative deal was signed, it would probably be too late.

The Bt2 billion production plant which Thailand hopes to construct, he said, would initially focus on production for domestic use, but would eventually expand its operations to include production for export.

“We expect to have a vaccine for use in humans within the next three years, or at very latest five years”, Dr. Thawat said.

“This is because it takes time to undertake strict testing procedures, both in laboratory animals and in small and large groups of people”.

He also revealed that the Ministry of Public Health had recently signed a deal with a large French pharmaceutical company to produce a vaccine against the human influenza virus for Thailand, in anticipation of a widely feared global flu pandemic.

Although the vaccine will be produced in France, it will be packaged by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) in Thailand.

The vaccine is expected to be in use by September this year.

ory [/b]

BANGKOK: -- The government today edged closer to introducing a vaccine against the avian flu virus in humans by pledging Bt2 billion for a production and development plant, promising that Thailand would have a vaccine for use within the next 3-5 years.

Although the introduction of a vaccine in chickens has proved highly controversial, the government has always entertained vaccines for humans as one possible option to prevent the pandemic from spreading, and the Department of Medical Sciences is currently working with the National Science and Technology Development Agency on a vaccine using the principle of reverse genetics to weaken the virus.

Today Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said that international pharmaceutical countries had failed to carry out research into vaccines for a disease which mainly threatened developing nations, and that Thailand would have to go it alone to produce a vaccine for domestic use.

He also dismissed suggestions that Thailand might work to develop the vaccine in conjunction with other countries in the region, noting that by the time a cooperative deal was signed, it would probably be too late.

The Bt2 billion production plant which Thailand hopes to construct, he said, would initially focus on production for domestic use, but would eventually expand its operations to include production for export.

“We expect to have a vaccine for use in humans within the next three years, or at very latest five years”, Dr. Thawat said.

“This is because it takes time to undertake strict testing procedures, both in laboratory animals and in small and large groups of people”.

He also revealed that the Ministry of Public Health had recently signed a deal with a large French pharmaceutical company to produce a vaccine against the human influenza virus for Thailand, in anticipation of a widely feared global flu pandemic.

Although the vaccine will be produced in France, it will be packaged by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) in Thailand.

The vaccine is expected to be in use by September this year.

--TNA 2005-04-20

how much of this money is going to our favorite boy and his cronies?