Thailand has potential to be regional vaccine hub

[webfact]

Thailand has potential to be regional vaccine hub
CHULARAT SAENGPASSA
THE NATION


Dr.Charung Muangchana

CONFERENCE HELD IN PHUKET TO BOOST ASEAN VACCINE MARKET

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND has the potential and readiness to become the leader of vaccine production in Asean, National Vaccine Institute (NVI) director Charung Muangchana told The Nation in an exclusive interview.

"I'm confident Thailand can become the vaccine hub in the Asean region because we have high calibre researchers and vaccine developers, as well as more than 50 agencies working in the field of vaccine research and development," he said.

Thai personnel could effectively compete with other countries - but the problem that hampered vaccine development was officials being slow to propel the policy forward into action, he said.

Neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam had started to pass Thailand, he said. Many key projects in Thailand were not backed while the flu vaccine factory project had been shelved. Small problems caused officials to pause before making decisions or acting. This had led to loss of opportunities.

The world vaccine market grew from $US5 billion in 2000 to $24 billion last year and was expected to reach $100 billion by 2025.

The World Health Organisation's (WHO) analyses found the fast growth was due to factors such as existing communicable diseases that still ravaged many countries - and new emerging threats.

Medical and public health groups say immunisation by vaccination is more effective in stopping diseases.

Currently, about 80 per cent of the world's vaccine market is split among European manufacturers such as Glaxo Smith Kline (23 per cent), Sanofi Pasteur (17 per cent), Pfizer (13 per cent), Merck (12 per cent), Novartis (13 per cent), Sanofi Pasteur-MSD (4 per cent).

The rest were from various countries. WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated that, by 2020, vaccine manufacturers in developing countries would be able to produce vaccines for domestic use and possibly have the potential to compete in the world's market.

Key vaccine manufacturers in developing countries included those from India, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. There were more than 120 vaccines in the pipeline and about 60 vaccines deemed to be important for developing countries.

DTP MoU 'went nowhere'

Charung said a memorandum of understanding for a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (DTP) was signed with France during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration. That project went nowhere because officials didn't dare proceed and lost the opportunity after doubting if it would materialise.

Another issue delaying vaccine development was that, despite all |the Thai government's support for vaccine as a tool for disease prevention, the activity's small profit - |compared to the huge investment capital - prompted most manufacturers to produce vaccines for financially strong countries for domestic use.

Thailand can produce two vaccines from scratch while producing eight vaccines by using ready-made cell culture, he said.

The basic vaccine was established by the Thai Public Health Ministry for all Thai children to prevent some 10 communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B, polio, DTP, and Japanese encephalitis (JE).

Charung said the vaccine procurement budget has increased annually and last year the figure was at Bt5 billion (from both public and private sectors).

As for normal vaccine usage, Thailand, being a developing country with a middle earning level, did not get much help in case of vaccine shortages because various organisations focused on poor countries, he explained.

With the vaccine market having a small number of suppliers, buying or importing vaccines might cause a lack of vaccine security, he added.

In 2005 when the National Vaccine Plan 2 was announced, NVI was given 10 times more budget for the first time.

NVI thus joined with allies inside and outside the country to formulate a "Vaccine Agenda" strategy for the next 10 years, including developing personnel, vaccine research promotion, and technology transfer, he said.

Charung said Thailand should in future push for necessary vaccines - such as for rotavirus-triggered diarrhoea or hepatitis A, dengue fever and human papillomavirus (HPV) - to be part of the national immunisation plan.

Thailand hosted the Asean vaccine conference this month in Phuket to propose for co-operation to strengthen the region's vaccine market, he said.

He hoped the Thai government and operative officials would support attempts to achieve the goal of supporting local manufacturers so Thailand could produce quality vaccines for domestic use and import them to other countries.

Obstacles to the country's vaccine development were many and included the capital, the need for related agencies' work integration, for operative policy officials' support in infrastructure development and research, and the need for Thai executives to support domestically produced vaccine usage.

In the first phase, local vaccine makers need to sell their products every year to survive, he said. He didn't want the public to view this as a monopoly action but each time a domestically-made vaccine is bought it would create benefit for the country and boost its capacity in vaccine making.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thailand-has-potential-to-be-regional-vaccine-hub-30246290.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-27

[englishoak]

Just get on with it nice n quiet, speak when theres something to be proud of. until then <deleted>

[Somtamnication]

Thailand has the potential for being many nice things..... a shopping paradise, medical tourism, etc etc. Unfortunately, the visitors die too often and their 30% markup on imports are keeping people away.

[NeverSure]

What I'd like to know is "What is Thailand NOT the hub of?"

[hansgruber]

What I'd like to know is "What is Thailand NOT the hub of?"

Hub of the lack of hubs? Hub of hubless?

[Pib]

Above article is just continuing treatment for "Few Hubs in Reality" Phobia.

[fatfather]

Thailand, hub of hups.

Fatfather

[casindonet]

I miss all the hub wannabe stories from thailand.

[NongKhaiKid]

The only vaccine produced here is the verbal happy juice that induces the believe that all is well, LoS is the centre of the universe and the rest of the world, if it actually exist, s loves Thailand and is in awe.

[JeremyBowskill]

Seems fair enough to me, after all they did find a cure for Ebola a few weeks back.

[Dogmatix]

_{Another day, another hub.}

[rhythmworx]

I didn't read the story just the title, but seen somebody pointing to something, that is all I needed to see and cqme to the conclusion that, that man doesn't even know what he is talking about.

Edited October 26, 2014 by rhythmworx

[givenall]

Is anyone keeping track of how many hubs we know have.

[BSJ]

The article seems to be putting the blame on government for poo pooing some projects yet claims "more than 50 agencies working in the field of vaccine research and development". So is that 50 government agencies? Or Private agencies? Or a combination.

It's just I can't see how the government could poo poo a successful project if it's 100% private owned.

[Ricardo]

What I'd like to know is "What is Thailand NOT the hub of?"

Air-travel, despite all the brave forecasts, before Swampy opened ?

Rail-transport, despite Thailand's geographical-advantages ?

High-class tourism ?

Democracy ?

[Chao Lao Beach]

Oh there is a hub I never predicted.

[ChrisY1]

What I'd like to know is "What is Thailand NOT the hub of?"

Vaccines.......yet!

[crusader79]

What I'd like to know is "What is Thailand NOT the hub of?"

Thailand is and always will be the hub of unrealized hub potential.

[chooka]

Seems fair as they do have the vaccine and cure for Ebola.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I sense weakness because they said "potential hub"

This hub is not a slam dunk?

[sirineou]

Hub of discontented expats with nothing positive to say

[IamNoone88]

There are many areas that Thailand could be very good at with focus ........ but sadly failing to be good at anything of international importance ..... is top of the list.

[oldsailor35]

OMG ! not another Hub for Thailand when the truth is that they neither have the knowledge nor brains to be more than a Noodle Hub. These officials really need to stop dreaming. Thailand is a "nobody" on the world stage, really just a 3rd world country with no brains.

[jjablonsky]

HUBBUB

1. Car manufacturing hub

2. Economic hub

3. Foreign surgery hub

4. Sports hub

5. Medical hub

6. etc...etc... etc...etc...

Now a vaccine hub, really. I'm constantly reading about Thailand's want to be the "-------" hub of something.

Before they can be the hubbub of anything they have to get the rest of the world to think that a military takeover of a democratically elected govt. is OK

[WhizBang]

Oh no, not another hub.

The only thing Thailand is the hub of, is silly hub pronouncements.

[Robert2006]

I’m curious; will there be an extra gift in these vaccines, a bonus like there was before? I know these companies are just trying to help the children, just like the helped them in the past, there such humanitarians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFY5dRD4aWA

[Lupatria]

Just get on with it nice n quiet, speak when theres something to be proud of. until then <deleted>

Actually, I see three hubs here already:

hub of would be's

hub of should be's

hub of could be's

The attempt to compete with India and China in the (non illegal) pharmaceutical sector is like the attempt to play table tennis with a basketball

[lostinisaan]

What happened to the educational hub?-

[darren84310]

What I'd like to know is "What is Thailand NOT the hub of?"

Solving crimes?

[Thaddeus]

Is anyone keeping track of how many hubs we know have.

Fantasy - Loads

Reality - None