Globe Biotech Ltd cancels clinical trials of its Covid vaccine with icddr,b; assigns another organisation

The Globe Biotech Ltd today cancelled the contract with the icddr,b to conduct clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine Bancovid.

The biotech firm has now assigned the Clinical Research Organization (CRO) to run the trials of their homegrown mRNA vaccine.

"We had nine meetings with icddr,b during the last three months. They agreed and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 14. Yet another one and half months have passed, but they cannot make satisfactory progress. So we sent them a letter yesterday informing of our decision to cancel the contract," Md Mohiuddin, manager of quality and regulation operation at Globe Biotech Ltd, told The Daily Star.

The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) refused to make a comment at this time.

On October 5, Globe Biotech announced that its first vaccine candidate had passed in the pre-clinical trial on mice and was ready for a clinical trial.

Later on October 17, Bancovid, along with two other vaccine candidates developed by the Globe Biotech Ltd, were included in the draft landscape of the World Health Organisation (WHO).