Staff Reporter :
After getting animal model success, Globe Biotech, a Bangladeshi firm, claimed that clinical trial of its newly invented Covid-19 vaccine on human body is under process.
“The Covid-19 vaccine, we have invented, has produced highly effective antibody in animal model against coronavirus spike protein. We have concluded the animal-model preliminary trial and now we will go for regulated animal trial,” said Dr. Asif Mahmud, In-charge of Research and Development Department of Globe Biotech Limited, at a press conference in a conference room of the company in the city’s Tejgaon on Thursday.
He said that the preliminary trial was conducted on three rabbits at a level-3 bio safety laboratory.
Dr. Asif said that they needed four to six weeks more to go to clinical trial of the vaccine with the approval of Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC), as they are yet to get another report of animal model trial.
“In the meantime, we will submit application to BMRC for approval of clinical trial,” he said.
“Our team is doing well in the race of Covid-19 vaccine development. We are here to announce our primary success,” said Dr. Asif.
He, however, said that they were yet to patent or publishes their effort in journals.
“It is a big day for us and for the nation that we are at a notable stage of the global race of producing a vaccine to prevent the fatal diseases,” said Md. Harunur Rashid, Chairman of Globe Biotech Limited.
They are now seeking ethical approval from BMRC for clinical trial after the regulated animal trial.
“We have the capacity to produce seven million vials of the vaccine if we finally get market authorisation from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA),” the company chairman said.
Officials of the Globe Biotech said that they started the analysis of Covid-19 genome sequence since March and concluded the preliminary animal trial of the vaccine in June.
Replying to a query, officials of the company said, their research team working to invent the vaccine comprise Bangalees only.
They said, two Bangladeshi origins Canadian Scientists Dr. Naznin Sultana and Dr. Kakon Nag are leading the team.
Meanwhile, BMRC and DGDA officials said that they were unaware about the Globe Biotech’s efforts.
Although no vaccine has been tried in clinical trials yet across the world, there are multiple efforts in progress to develop such a vaccine.
In February 2020, the World Health Organisation said that it did not expect a vaccine against the virus, to become available in less than 18 months.
In the vaccine race, institutes in different countries as well AstraZeneca at the University of Oxford, Chinese Institute of Biotechnology of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases are in the advanced stage.
