The National Research Ethics Committee of Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) has decided to approve Globe Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine BANGAVAX in principle for conducting human trials.

The decision was taken in a BMRC virtual meeting on Wednesday. 

BMRC Director Professor Dr Ruhul Amin confirmed the matter to the media after the meeting.

It is not a direct approval as there are some conditions to be met, he said, adding they have to fix mistakes before getting final approval.

Confirming the matter to journalists, committee chairman Professor Dr Shahla Khatun said, "Globe Biotech would need to complete a number of processes, including applying the vaccine on monkeys or chimpanzees before proceeding to human trial."

Globe Biotech Limited, a Bangladeshi biotech firm, previously submitted its protocol to the BMRC for the clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine Bangavax on 16 January.

On 28 December, Globe Biotech got approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) to produce Covid-19 vaccine candidate Bangavax to carry out clinical trials.

BDST: 1624 HRS, JUN 16, 2021
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