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British American Tobacco, the manufacturer of cigarette brands such as Lucky Strike, Dunhill, Rothmans and Benson & Hedges, has said that a potential coronavirus vaccine was being developed from tobacco plants. According to the company, tobacco plants cannot, by their nature, harbour pathogens that cause human disease, making them potentially safer for vaccine use. If the tests go well, the cigarette manufacturer hopes that with the right partners and the support of government agencies, between 1 and 3 million doses of the vaccine can be manufactured per week, starting in June.
British American Tobacco (BAT) announced that "the new technology of fast-growing tobacco plants... "put it ahead of other companies trying to develop a vaccine. « Tobacco plants offer the potential to develop vaccines faster and more reliably than conventional methods. "said the company.
BAT has indicated that its US biotech subsidiary, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), has moved into pre-clinical trials and will work on the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis. In 2014, the tobacco company bought KBP, which had already been working on a treatment for the Ebola virus. BAT stated that its work was " potentially safer [than conventional vaccine technology], since tobacco plants cannot harbour pathogens that cause human disease; and ".
BAT states that it had made commitments to the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and the Department of Health and Human Welfare in the United Kingdom to "...ensure that the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United Kingdom's Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United Kingdom Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United Kingdom Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United Kingdom Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United Kingdom Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to ensure that the United Kingdom Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Welfare have the necessary resources and resources to Provide support and access to our research to try to accelerate the development of a vaccine for Covid-19. ".
Dr. David O'Reilly, BAT's Director of Scientific Research, says: " Developing a vaccine is difficult and complex work, but we believe we have made a significant breakthrough with our tobacco plant technology platform, and we are ready to work with governments and all stakeholders to help win the war against Covid-19.. "KBP has been exploring alternative uses for the tobacco plant for some time. One such alternative use is the development of plant-based vaccines, he says.
Tobacco company officials reveal to the British daily newspaper The Guardian cloned part of the coronavirus gene sequence and developed a potential antigen. The antigen was then inserted into tobacco plants for reproduction and, once the plants were harvested, the antigen was purified. It is currently undergoing pre-clinical testing.
The British company is one of the most criticized in the world for its use of attractive communication aimed at encouraging young people to smoke cigarettes or vaporize. British American Tobacco, which has built its empire on a product that kills (it's marked on the package), intends, with this coronavirus crisis, to restore its image.