Turkey's innovative inactivated vaccine enters WHO list

KOCAELI, Turkey

An inactivated coronavirus vaccine developed by Turkish scientists has been included on a list of vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the director of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) said Thursday.

Prof. Hasan Mandal noted that it is the second vaccine to make it onto the list after a locally produced virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine was previously recognized.

There are important vaccine studies in Turkey, Mandal told Anadolu Agency.

Seven of these studies are being conducted under Turkey's COVID-19 Platform, he said.

Noting that an inactivated vaccine developed at Turkey's Erciyes University had completed Phase 2 studies and another Turkish-made vaccine is in the second phase, he said one more vaccine will start Phase 1 trials soon.