Flu vaccine funded
The World Health Organisation (WHO) will grant US$2 million (Bt70 million) for a planned pilot project to manufacture human flu and bird flu vaccines in Thailand.
Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said yesterday that Thailand would sign the deal with the WHO during the UN agency's general assembly in Geneva from June 16-18.Dr Wichai Chokwiwat, chairman of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), said a related plan to build a Bt1.55-billion flu vaccine plant was approved by the Public Health Ministry's vaccine development committee yesterday. The new plant would be located on 100 rai of land in Saraburi's Kaeng Khoi district. The committee also approved the vaccine pilot project and assigned a GPO factory on Bangkok's Rama VI Road to produce the vaccines for human flu and bird flu, Wichai said. The proposals for both the factory and the pilot project will be submitted for Cabinet approval soon.
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