More funds sought from WHO

       Thailand will seek more financial support from the World Health Organisation to develop a new local factory and boost type-A (H1N1) flu vaccine production.
       Additional funds are needed to develop the new vaccine plant as the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the vaccine manufacturer, is worried production capacity of the current pilot plant at Silpakorn University's faculty of pharmaceutical science in Nakhon Pathom province may not meet the target, Vichai Chokewiwat,GPO board chairman, said yesterday.
       "The agency plans to produce up to 10 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine by December this year for national security.But the low yield of egg-based production has a major impact on vaccine availability and we need the other vaccine plant to help increase vaccine production for local use while the industrial-scale vaccine is not ready," he said.
       Dr Vichai did not disclose the name of the university listed for the new vaccine plant construction or the amount of financial support sought from the WHO this time round.
       But he said a meeting with university executives for possible cooperation would be held on Monday.
       The WHO has already granted the Public Health Ministry a total of US$4 million to develop a vaccine pilot plant in Nakhon Pathom.
       Based on the live-attenuated vaccine technology from Russia, the GPO aims to produce over 3 million doses of nasalspray type vaccine a month upon completion of research and development.
       Further toxicity and sterilisation tests on animals, however, are required following the WHO's recommendations before clinical trials of the A (H1N1) flu vaccine proceed in September.
       Vaccine experts in Geneva and officials from the Public Health Ministry and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation on Thursday discussed and came up with solutions to overcome problems with flu vaccine production after low vaccine virus yields in German-imported eggs were reported.
       The GPO chairman said further lab tests would not delay clinical trials planned for September. But the doubleblind test will be carried out on 12 volunteers instead of the previously-planned 24. Of the 12, three will receive a placebo.
       Mahidol University's faculty of tropical medicine earlier planned to carry out the trial on 24 volunteers. Half of them would receive vaccine shots containing a higher virus quantity.
       Speaking during a Rotary Club luncheon, US Ambassador to Thailand Eric John said the development of a pandemic flu vaccine was a race against time as an estimated 500,000 Thai people might have been infected with the virus.
       The Public Health Ministry also reported a total of 111 fatalities within two months since the emergence of the virus.
       He was still hopeful that Thailand will be one of the first nations to produce an A (H1N1) flu vaccine for its people.
       Only the US, Russia and Thailand have adopted live-attenuated vaccine technology to produce nasal-spray flu vaccines. Others such as Australia are making an inactivated vaccine.
       Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai assigned the Medical Registration Department to investigate the medical ethics of two private hospitals after receiving complaints of overcharging for treatment and delays in treatment leading to death.
       Peerawee Tuangsinkulbodee petitioned Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva after his 28-year-old niece died. He said his niece was hospitalised at two private hospitals for two weeks after suffering flu-like symptoms but did not receive the antiviral drug oseltamivir.
       His niece's condition deteriorated and she was transferred for treatment to a third private hospital. His family paid three million baht for her treatment.But she died on Aug 3.