Globe hopes to release its vaccine early next year

Globe Biotech Limited, a local drug manufacturer, is hopeful about releasing its coronavirus vaccine called BANCOVID on commercial-scale early next year.
The lone Bangladeshi Covid-19 vaccine candidate has almost completed human trial protocols along with its CRO (contract research organisation), Globe officials said. On conclusion of the trial protocols, it would seek the government's ethical approval to start human trials locally.
The pharmaceutical company has sought government's support, including ethical approval to initiate the clinical trials.
Chairman of the company Md. Harunur Rashid disclosed this at a press briefing in Dhaka on Monday, sharing data of its animal model experiment or preclinical trial.
Dedicating the innovation to the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he said they named the vaccine with first three letters of Bangabandhu and Bangladesh.
Mr. Rashid expressed his strong dissatisfaction over the relevant government officials' attitude towards 'home-grown' vaccine and said, "Do they feel ashamed in mentioning our name? We have applied the best scientific practices in making the vaccine which is waiting for the human trial approval."
About the import of global vaccines once these are ready, he said ensuring the required cold-chain transportation and distribution systems would be a very tough and expensive job. This would make the imported vaccines very expensive.
He said the government would not be able to meet the vaccine demand for all although everyone has got the right to vaccine.
If the government supports the local company, it will be able to produce the vaccine in mass scale and we will be able to meet the country's entire demand, Mr Rashid said.
"I hope the government will provide us with necessary support to allow clinical trials here. If everything goes as per the plan, we will start marketing the vaccine by January next year. And it will be one of the best vaccines of the world inshallah," he added.
Sharing the results of animal trials, the company's chief executive officer (CEO) Kakon Nag said BANCOVID did not produce any noticeable effect on local or systemic toxicity, CBC (complete blood count) and blood chemistry.
"It proved that it is capable of developing anti bodies in animals, suggesting that the vaccine behaves safely in animals," he said, adding that they did the coronavirus spike protein sequencing through which the virus enters the human body.
He said they found that the virus went through a genetic mutation in the position of its 614 number protein, which was converted into G614 from D614.
Because of the transition, the virus became more infectious and deadly, and many global studies blamed the G614 variant for recent spread of the pandemic, he said.
"Those who started developing vaccines in the early pandemic period did not consider the variant, but we're the first company to do that. So, we are very confident that our vaccine will work," he said.
Talking about the reasons behind going for the innovation, he said more than 7.0 billion vaccines will be required globally and the drug firms of the world altogether can annually produce a maximum of 1.5 billion doses.
But most of the vaccines will be taken away by the developed countries and countries like Bangladesh will not be able to secure much, he said. "If we become successful in human trials, the people of the country will be benefited," Mr Nag said.
Few days ago, the New York-based Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) operated bio archive or BioRxiv published the results of Globe's pre-clinical trials.
The company's director and lawmaker Mamunur Rashid Kiron, Dean of Pharmacy Faculty at Dhaka University Professor SM Abdur Rahman and Professor (medicine) of Dhaka Medical College & Hospital (DMCH) Mojibur Rahman, among others, spoke at the programme.

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