UK/US
British American Tobacco (BAT) has also announced that it is working on a potential coronavirus vaccine through its US biotech subsidiary – with the first batches possibly ready by June.
Kentucky BioProcessing, a division of BAT’s Reynolds American Inc., could churn out between 1-3 million doses of the vaccine per week using proteins extracted from tobacco leaves beginning in June.
“KBP has been exploring alternative uses of the tobacco plant for some time,” said Dr. David O’Reilly, BAT’s director of scientific research. “We are committed to contributing to the global effort to halt the spread of Covid-19 using this technology.”
KBP, which previously helped develop an effective treatment for the Ebola virus, is working on the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis.