Dr. Ho Nhan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company, has suddenly passed away due to heart disease at the age of 59. He is known as the "father" of the Nanocovax vaccine.
Pioneering research on Covid-19 vaccine
Mr. Ho Nhan - the "father" of the Nanocovax vaccine - suddenly passed away at the age of 59 due to heart disease (Photo: Novagen)
The Nanocovax Covid-19 vaccine was researched in mid-2020, during the period when the Covid-19 epidemic was spreading in Vietnam, under the coordination of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company and the Military Medical Academy.
The vaccine uses recombinant technology, which means using the most suitable harmless antigen fragments (proteins) of SARS-CoV-2 to stimulate an immune response.
The biggest advantage of recombinant protein vaccines is that they create a good immune response, are highly safe, have few side effects, and have more favorable storage conditions than other types of vaccines (storage at 2-8 degrees Celsius).
Nanocovax Vaccine
Since late 2020 and 2021, the Nanocovax vaccine has completed all three phases of clinical trials with very positive signals.
Phase 1 of the trial began on December 17, 2020, and was conducted on 60 healthy volunteers. Volunteers were injected with three different doses of 25mcg, 50mcg, and 75mcg. The results showed that Nanocovax was well tolerated, with no serious reactions related to the vaccine recorded.
Phase 2 was then launched on February 26, 2021, with the participation of 560 people. The results showed that all three dose levels produced an immune response, of which the 25mcg dose was effective and was chosen to continue the study in the next phase.
Phase 3 - the most important phase - starts on June 11, 2021 and is divided into two parts.
Phase 3a was first conducted in 1,000 volunteers to initially evaluate safety and immune response. After positive results were obtained, phase 3b was expanded to 12,000 participants, following a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design.
The results of phase 2 and phase 3 studies show that the Nanocovax vaccine reduces the risk of contracting Covid-19, reducing the risk of severe progression and death when infected. In particular, the Nanocovax vaccine's protective efficacy against death is 100%.
The protective efficacy of the Nanocovax vaccine also decreases over time. Overall, the protective efficacy of Nanocovax (25mcg injection dose) is 52.1%, meeting the licensing standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US FDA.
At this time, the manufacturer has applied for emergency authorization but has not yet been approved.
Nanocovax vaccine has passed 3 testing phases with many positive results.
Symbol of the aspiration for medical autonomy
Although it has passed three testing phases, the Nanocovax vaccine has not yet been officially licensed for circulation in Vietnam.
Previously, on February 24, 2022, the Government Office issued Notice No. 1027/PCP-KGVX to the Ministry of Health regarding the licensing of the Nanocovax vaccine.
This notice requests the Ministry of Health to urgently review and process the request for a license to circulate the Nanocovax vaccine in accordance with regulations, and at the same time report the implementation results to the Prime Minister.
However, since then, there has been no official information about the licensing of the Nanocovax vaccine. This shows that the review and approval process for the vaccine is still ongoing even though the vaccine has passed 3 phases of clinical trials.
The passing of businessman Ho Nhan when his "child" - the Nanocovax vaccine - had not yet been licensed made many people regretful.
Although it has not yet achieved its ultimate goal, Nanocovax remains a symbol of Vietnam's aspiration for medical autonomy and innovation.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/tien-si-ho-nhan-va-dau-an-tien-phong-nghien-cuu-vaccine-phong-covid-19-20250513105825728.htm
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