Thailand’s Baiya Phytopharm will begin first human trials of COVID-19 vaccine this month

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Assoc. Prof Waranyu said research into and development of COVID-19 vaccines continues in the fight against the virus’ variants and Baiya Phytopharm is also conducting studies into other drugs to boost the country’s public health security.

Baiya Phytopharm Co, a startup under the CU Enterprise program, reports that the plant-based COVID-19 vaccine, known as the “Baiya Vaccine”, is set to enter the first phase of clinical trials this month.

Assoc. Prof Waranyu Phoolcharoen, company co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), said research into and development of COVID-19 vaccines continue in the fight against the virus’ variants and Baiya Phytopharm is also conducting studies into other drugs to boost the country’s public health security.



She said human trials are expected to begin after information related to the manufacturing process is reviewed by Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA). If the clinical trials go as planned, mass production of the Baiya Vaccine could start in the middle of next year. The company plans to manufacture the vaccine at Asia’s first plant-based vaccine factory, located in Chulalongkorn University.


Assoc. Prof. Waranyu also revealed that Baiya Phytopharm may adjust the formula for its second-generation booster vaccine, to fight emerging variants such as Delta, which is currently the dominant strain in Thailand. However, the company will check results from the Phase 1 human trial before deciding whether to reformulate the booster. (NNT)