Illustration of an anti-Covid-19 vaccine.

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ALLILI MOURAD

The American bio-tech Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), a subsidiary of the British tobacco company BAT, announced on Wednesday the launch of the first trials for a vaccine against Covid-19.

The latter would be developed through a method using the tobacco leaf.

The group is preparing to conduct the first so-called phase 1 clinical trials with a few volunteers, in order to find out first if it is safe.

These trials will come after receiving the green light from the US Drug Agency (FDA), according to a statement from BAT, known for the brands Lucky Strike and Dunhill.

The effectiveness of a vaccine is determined from larger trials, called phase 2 and 3.

180 volunteers

KBP plans to hire a total of 180 healthy adult volunteers, who will be divided into two groups, one for people aged 18-49 and the other for the 50-70 age group.

The results are expected in mid-2021 and the group then hopes to move to phase 2, subject to the regulatory green light.

KBP has successfully cloned a piece of the Covid-19 sequence, which has helped develop a molecule that can produce antibodies that can protect against the virus.

The tobacco leaf to which biotech uses has particular properties with multiple advantages, constituting, according to it, an environment favorable to a more efficient and rapid production of antibodies than with traditional techniques.

For KBP, its technique makes it possible to manufacture the vaccine faster, which would have the ability to be stable at room temperature, while vaccines against Covid-19 must most often be kept cool.

Treatment for Ebola in 2014

At the same time, the biotech is developing an influenza vaccine, which will also enter phase 1. “It is our unique plant-based technology (…) that has enabled us to make these advances and meet a need. urgent need for effective treatments and vaccines, ”says David O'Reilly, director of scientific research at BAT.

KBP had already distinguished itself in 2014, before joining BAT, by developing a treatment against Ebola.

Other biotechs such as the Canadian Medicago also use tobacco leaves for the development of vaccines.

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