Vietnam is joining the race for Covid vaccine… health authorities have announced pharmaceutical laboratory Nanogen has started human testing their candidate vaccine Nanocovax this Thursday December 17, 2020. All in all, three volunteers on the 60 planned have been given the first dose on the occasion of the first clinical trial phase. The injection occurred this Thursday in Hanoi.
According to details from head of Vietnam Military Medical University Professor Dô Quyêt – who collaborated with Nanogen to develop this vaccine – these tree volunteers are aged 18 to 50, in good health and have no other disease. Each one of them has been given a 25-µg dose and are currently medically watched at the Vietnam Military Medical University for 72 hours, and then at home for 56 days.
A first phase of clinical trial that aims at checking if humans can bear the vaccine. Three groups will be vaccinated with different doses (a group with 25µg, another one with 50µg, and the last one with 75µg) and will be followed-up to see what are the effects of this candidate vaccine. If the results of the first three vaccines are positive, the 57 other volunteers will be given the dose planned.
This vaccine relies on a technology different from the products already available on the market, based on recombinant protein. What is it exactly? As explained by L'Usine Nouvelle,, these proteins are produced by a cell “which genetic material has been modified by genetic recombining”. A technology already used to elaborate other vaccines such as the one against hepatitis B or even papillomavirus, and also chosen by Sanofi and GSK for the conception of their own vaccine.
On the long run, the goal is to provide vaccine for an affordable price, affordable to emerging countries. A newcomer in the race for positive results expected soon, and issuance very soon if everything comes along nicely.
