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BANGKOK (Reuters) – Two coronavirus vaccines given using nasal spray under development in Thailand are expected to begin human trials by the end of this year, after promising results in trials involving mice a government official said on Wednesday.
Developed by the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the vaccines are based on adenovirus and influenza, said deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek.
After conducting trials in mice, the first phase of human trials is expected to begin by the end of this year, pending approval from the food and drug regulator, she said.
The trials will also test protection against the Delta variant, Ratchada said, with the second phase scheduled for March next year and a production target for wider use in mid-2022, if the results are good, has she declared.
Research is underway in countries around the world to develop nasal sprays to help prevent and treat COVID-19, especially as the lining of the nose has been identified as a key entry point for the virus .
Thailand’s other local vaccines, the mRNA vaccine from Chulalongkorn University and an inactivated virus under development by Mahidol University, are expected to begin second-phase human trials this month.
Thailand’s vaccination campaign has so far relied on Chinese vaccines Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm. Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines are given as a third booster injection to frontline medical workers who have received two doses of Sinovac.
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Wednesday that 32.5 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine are expected to be delivered this year, consisting of an order of 30 million doses and vaccines from the United States.
About 6.8% of Thailand’s population of over 66 million people have received two doses of a vaccine.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; editing by Ed Davies)
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