HCMC – The producer of the first Vietnamese-developed Covid-19 vaccine, Nano Covax, is expected to seek approval for emergency use of the vaccine in the third week of August.
A report delivered at a meeting on July 23 between the Ministries of Health and Science-Technology and local Covid vaccine producers showed that four Covid vaccines would be produced in the country, with two of them to be made by local companies and the other two to be produced using technology transferred from other countries, the local media reported.
The results of the third phase of the clinical trial of Nano Covax are expected to come out between August 4 and 19. The Ministry of Health has dispatched a group of experts to coordinate with experts from the World Health Organization to support the vaccine developer, Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, and the HCMC Pasteur Institute and the Vietnam Military Medical Academy, with the last two in charge of the vaccine trials, to prepare to file for emergency use authorization.
A Nanogen representative told the local media that Nano Covax has been administered to 13,620 volunteers, with 60 of them participating in the first phase of the trial, 560 in the second phase, and 13,000 in the third and final phase. In the third phase, 1,004 volunteers have received two shots.
Another home-grown Covid vaccine, Covivax, developed by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals in Nha Trang, will be assessed on July 27. A report on the first trial will be submitted on July 30 to start the second phase of its clinical trial. According to the Ministry of Health, the third phase of the trial may start in September to accelerate the vaccine development process.
In addition, the country will receive technology from other countries to develop two Covid vaccines. The United States’ Acturus Company will transfer the vaccine production technology to Vingroup which will build a plant able to turn out 100-200 million doses per year.
Japan’s Shionogi Company will transfer its vaccine production technology to two Vietnamese firms, AIC and Vabiotech. The vaccine plant in Vietnam is expected to launch the first product on the local market in June 2022.
In addition, Vabiotech signed an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund on the packaging of the Sputnik V vaccine. On August 10, the quality of the vaccine packaged in Vietnam will be reviewed.
