Thais could get Covid-19 jabs in a few months
Thailand has agreed on a partnership with British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca to manufacture a new experimental Covid-19 vaccine.
If the vaccine proves to be effective, Thailand will receive doses with the aim of commencing the vaccination of the Thai population starting from the first half of 2021.
The partnership was entered between AstraZeneca, Thailand’s ministry of public health and pharma firm Siam Bioscience, the British and Thai governments said on October 12. The vaccine has been scientifically developed at the University of Oxford.
However, the announcement did so far not specify how many doses of the potential vaccine, called AZD1222, would be distributed in Thailand. It also did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, but the Thai health ministry said that AstraZeneca would consider it as a non-profit project and would work with Siam Bioscience to set up respective manufacturing facilities.
Countering the pandemic
The UK embassy in Bangkok said that it was hopeful that large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine at Siam Bioscience would strengthen “broad, equitable and timely access to the potential vaccine in Southeast Asia and beyond.” After all, it would be “a key step in countering the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand and Southeast Asia more broadly,” the statement went on.
Siam Bioscience said that the availability of the vaccine could be the matter of a couple of months.
“With the expected technology transfer from AstraZeneca and following regulatory approval in Thailand, our company is aiming to have the first batch of vaccines available in the middle of next year,” Satitpong Sukvimol, chairman of Bangkok-based Siam Bioscience, said.
Thailand has agreed on a partnership with British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca to manufacture a new experimental Covid-19 vaccine. If the vaccine proves to be effective, Thailand will receive doses with the aim of commencing the vaccination of the Thai population starting from the first half of 2021. The partnership was entered between AstraZeneca, Thailand’s ministry of public health and pharma firm Siam Bioscience, the British and Thai governments said on October 12. The vaccine has been scientifically developed at the University of Oxford. However, the announcement did so far not specify how many doses of the potential vaccine, called AZD1222,...
Thailand has agreed on a partnership with British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca to manufacture a new experimental Covid-19 vaccine.
If the vaccine proves to be effective, Thailand will receive doses with the aim of commencing the vaccination of the Thai population starting from the first half of 2021.
The partnership was entered between AstraZeneca, Thailand’s ministry of public health and pharma firm Siam Bioscience, the British and Thai governments said on October 12. The vaccine has been scientifically developed at the University of Oxford.
However, the announcement did so far not specify how many doses of the potential vaccine, called AZD1222, would be distributed in Thailand. It also did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, but the Thai health ministry said that AstraZeneca would consider it as a non-profit project and would work with Siam Bioscience to set up respective manufacturing facilities.
Countering the pandemic
The UK embassy in Bangkok said that it was hopeful that large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine at Siam Bioscience would strengthen “broad, equitable and timely access to the potential vaccine in Southeast Asia and beyond.” After all, it would be “a key step in countering the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand and Southeast Asia more broadly,” the statement went on.
Siam Bioscience said that the availability of the vaccine could be the matter of a couple of months.
“With the expected technology transfer from AstraZeneca and following regulatory approval in Thailand, our company is aiming to have the first batch of vaccines available in the middle of next year,” Satitpong Sukvimol, chairman of Bangkok-based Siam Bioscience, said.
