Trials for a Covid-19 vaccine produced in tobacco plants by a British American Tobacco (BAT) subsidiary are imminent, according to several reports.
Kentucky BioProcessing LLC, a biopharmaceutical company owned by Reynolds American Inc (which in turn is owned by BAT) currently awaits a response from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to its pre-clinical trial testing.
Kentucky BioProcessing LLC has been infecting tobacco plants with a genetically modified coronavirus to see if it could produce antibodies for a possible vaccine.
Tobacco plant technology is thought to have advantages over traditional development methods as it can produce initial vaccines in the plants in just six weeks, instead of months. It is also possibly safer because tobacco plants cannot host so-called pathogens that cause human disease.
See a previous news story on BAT’s efforts in producing a Covid-19 vaccine.