Thursday, 08/10/2020 19:42 (GMT+7)
There are currently two potential COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in Vietnam, including the Institute of Vaccine and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) in Nha Trang city and the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Company, according to Nguyen Ngo Quang, Deputy Head of the Department of Science - Technology and Training under the Ministry of Health.
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According to Mr. Quang, these two companies are currently doing challenging tests which create a complete vaccine for testing on animals, then exposing the animal to nCoV to test the effectiveness of protection. In particular, IVAC transferred the vaccine to a laboratory in the US to test, with the total investment cost of USD1 million.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health asked Nanogen Company to send a sample of vaccine to the Republic of Korea for more challenging tests.
Mr. Quang also said that, on the basis of preclinical results, it is expected that around December 2020, the Ministry of Health will evaluate and allow clinical implementation.
A half of a month ago, the Ministry of Health received agreement from the Prime Minister to develop a project on support of COVID-19 vaccine production. Therefore, the Ministry of Health will quickly promote and support manufacturers to gain the target of mastering the technology of COVID-19 vaccine production.
Vietnam is one of 92 countries participating inthe COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility) program, which aims to provide 2 billion doses of vaccine for about 20% of the population to COVAX member countries, by the end of 2021.
There are 187 kinds of potential COVID-19 vaccines in the world currently under research, 38 of which are in clinical trials.
If manufacturers in COVAX organization complete the production of vaccines, Vietnam will also have access to the products soon. At that time, COVID-19 vaccine priority will be given to people in vulnerable groups such as health workers, the elderly and people with chronic diseases./.
Compiled by BTA