Research on the program started in the middle of last year and initial testing on animals yielded positive results, Mr Anutin confirmed. The program is being driven by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health, and Mahidol University.
“Thailand isn’t just relying on one source for vaccines,” commented Mr Anutin.
“We’re actively looking for ways to procure the shots, including producing them ourselves.
“We’re not placing our bets on one horse, what we’re doing now is owning a whole stable.”
He added that the state drug manufacturer will be able to produce 25 to 30 million doses of the vaccine per year, assuming the human trials are successful.