Vietnam aims to successfully produce at least one locally-made COVID-19 vaccine in 2021

July 19, 2021 | 14:34

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Vietnam is striving to successfully produce at least one locally-made COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 to ensure vaccine supply for the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign, announced Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan at a meeting on July 17.

Vietnam aims to successfully produce at least one locally-made COVID-19 vaccine in 2021

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan chaired the meeting on July 17 with a plan to successfully produce at least one locally-made COVID-19 vaccine in 2021

At the virtual meeting of the special working group on vaccine research and clinical trial, and the development of COVID-19 vaccines, participants discussed plansto invite more experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) to support COVID-19 vaccine development in Vietnam.

Additionally, they discussed the acceleration of clinical trials for the two locally-made COVID-19 vaccines Nano Covax, and COVIVAC, as well as the transfer of technology for COVID-19 vaccine production, among others.

The prime minister invitedWHO experts to support Vietnam in research and production of the vaccine so that Vietnam can accelerate locally-made vaccine production to ensure itself vaccine supply.

The deputy minister of health assigned relevant departments and agencies of the Ministry of Health (MoH) to maximally support units in the research, production, and import of vaccines, and license vaccines from emergency use.

The MoH plans to soon submit to the government plans to use the national COVID-19 vaccine fund to support the third phase of clinical trials for locally-made vaccines while proposing the government to direct relevant ministries, agencies, and localities to work with the MoH on clinical trials in cities and provinces to ensure safety and efficacy while remaining on schedule.

The locally-made Nano Covax vaccine

Earlier on July 14, to fast-track the clinical trial and development of locally-made COVID-19 vaccines in line with the prime minister’s directions, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long signed Decision No.3439/QD-BYT on establishing a special working group on research and development of COVID-19 vaccines led by Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan.

At present, Nano Covax developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC is in the third phase of clinical trials. From June to mid-July, over 14,000 volunteers participating in the third clinical trial got their first shots with positive results.

As planned, the second shot of Nano Covax will be administered before August 15. If the third clinical trial produces good results and is accepted by the National Ethics Council, the vaccine will be considered for approval for emergency use.

According to the producer, it can roll out 5-10 million doses a month. In addition to Nano Covax, COVIVAC developed by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) is in the second phase of clinical trial.