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Turkey has launched mass production of its domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine Turkovac after receiving emergency use approval, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced yesterday (December 22).

Among the vaccine studies supported by the Presidency of Turkish Health Institutes (TUSEB) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), the inactive vaccine developed by Erciyes University showed the fastest progress.

While the development process for Turkovac began in April 2020, preclinical studies where animal trials were held were successfully concluded in October that year.

Minister Koca shared a video on Twitter with the message, "Best wishes for our country and humanity."

Ülkemize ve insanlığa hayırlı olsun. #Turkovac pic.twitter.com/IfB7qGypj7

— Dr. Fahrettin Koca (@drfahrettinkoca) December 22, 2021

Phase 1 studies for the vaccine kicked off the following month and it was administered to 44 volunteers. Phase 2 studies were launched on February 10, 2021 with 250 volunteers. With both phases showing positive data, authorities launched Phase 3 of the development process.

As part of the Phase 3 studies, the first dose of the vaccine was administered on June 22, 2021 in a program participated in by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who announced the name of the vaccine as Turkovac.

Thousands of volunteers who had not been infected with Covid-19 or got vaccinated before were given Turkovac as part of the Phase 3 studies.

In October this year, Turkovac was administered as a booster shot. Volunteers who previously received two doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine were given Turkovac or Sinovac depending on their personal preference.

Mass production

On November 25, Minister Koca said authorities had applied for emergency use approval of Turkovac, and it was granted the following month by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency.

Speaking at the vaccine production facility in southeastern Turkey's Urfa province, Koca noted that mass production of Turkovac had been launched.

With this latest development, Turkey has become the ninth country in the world that is capable of producing its own Covid-19 vaccine.

Common use of Turkovac is expected to start before the end of this year. (PT/VK)