Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) has given ethical clearance to the Bangavax COVID-19 vaccine of Globe Biotech for a small Phase-1 clinical trial on humans.
Developed by the local pharmaceutical company, Bangavax is the first experimental vaccine to be used on humans in Bangladesh, reports bdnews24.com.
After the approval on Tuesday, BMRC Director Dr Ruhul Amin said the company will get the clearance for widespread use if large phase-2 and phase-3 trials show the shot is effective and safe enough.
Globe Biotech applied for approval for a human trial on Nov 1, saying the vaccine yielded "good results” in trials on monkeys.
Dr Mohammad Mohiuddin, a senior manager at the company, said they submitted all the documents properly and hoped they would be able to begin the human trial in November if they get the clearance.
The vaccine can be stored at a temperature of 4.0 degrees Celsius for one month and of -20 degrees Celsius for up to six months.
Globe Biotech received a licence to produce the potential vaccine for trial in December 2020 and applied for ethical clearance to begin clinical trials in 2021.
One dose of the vaccine had created working antibodies during initial trials on animals, the company said.