Vietnam Pushes For Homemade COVID-19 Vaccine

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JAKARTA - Vietnamese authorities have notified Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology to continue clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine. This provides an opportunity for the Ho Chi Minh-based company's efforts to launch a 'made in Vietnam' vaccine by 2021.

Quoting Nikkei Asian, Friday 11 December, the country with a population of nearly 100 million has prioritized domestic vaccine production. This is a way to ensure adequate vaccinations for all citizens while export opportunities are a secondary motive.

Vietnam's Ministry of Health approval was issued on Thursday 10 December, two days after mass vaccination began in the UK. The UK's first injection of the COVID-19 vaccine marks a new chapter in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed 1.5 million lives globally.

Experts say that Asians still have to wait months to receive their vaccine shots because vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna are expected to face initial production bottlenecks. Global distribution is also a challenge. If the Vietnamese trials show good results, Nanogen plans to administer Nanocovax to the general public soon in the second half of 2021.

Nanocovax is seeking to be added to the list of potential COVID-19 vaccine candidates. As of Thursday December 10, there were 52 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Clinical trials include a project by Chinese company Sinovac, Osaka University and the drug development venture AnGes, and Institute of India's Codagenix and Serum.

Nanogen's vaccine trials will start on December 17, after Nanogen recruits 60 volunteers. The first phase of the trial will be carried out in collaboration with the Vietnam Military Medical University.

Although Nanogen is negotiating the price of Nanocovax with the Ministry of Health, each vaccine is estimated to cost less than 500,000 Vietnamese dong or around Rp. 306,735. Nanogen also urged authorities to add Nanocovax to the list of health insurance drugs.

Drug manufacturers currently have the capacity to manufacture vaccines to produce 2 million doses a year. But health authorities are aiming to add enough capacity by making 30 million doses in the next six months.

Nanocovax is Vietnam's first COVID vaccine candidate to reach the human trial stage. Three additional projects are underway. One of the other three is a joint vaccine development effort with Russia.

Vietnam is also in talks with Britain, the US, Russia and China to import vaccines, according to the Health Ministry. The country is among the 42 countries that can produce vaccines and among 38 countries with vaccine administering bodies that comply with WHO standards. Vietnam has a track record of producing diphtheria vaccines.

The pharmaceutical company also confirmed the possibility of collaborating with Bangladesh, India and Indonesia in the third phase of testing. If collaborative testing is carried out, this will signal an opportunity for Nanogen to tap into overseas markets.