Globe Biotech’s COVID-19 Vaccine 'Bangavax' gets US Patent

Globe Biotech Limited, a sister concern of Globe Pharmaceutical Group of Companies Ltd., has secured a US patent for its COVID-19 vaccine, "Bangavax" .

Established in 2015 with a cutting-edge research facility in Dhaka, Globe Biotech specialises in biologics, novel drugs, and biosimilars targeting diseases like cancer, arthritis, anemia, hypertension, and autoimmune disorders.

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, Globe Biotech’s team, led by Dr. Kakon Nag and Dr. Naznin Sultana, developed detection kits, vaccines, and therapeutics. Their mRNA-based vaccine, Bangavax, gained trial approval from the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) and the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA). 

In 2020, the vaccine’s full coding sequence was published in the NCBI database (USA), followed by research papers in Vaccine (Elsevier, USA) and Scientific Reports (Nature, UK). 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also listed Bangavax among its official COVID-19 vaccines that year.

Bangavax achieved a milestone for Bangladesh with successful monkey trials, demonstrating safety and efficacy. 

The US patent encompasses 30 invention claims related to the vaccine’s nanotechnology platform, which Globe Biotech claims makes Bangavax the only single-dose mRNA vaccine effective against multiple variants globally.

The company states that this platform can be adapted for vaccines using DNA, protein, inactivated virus, or recombinant virus technologies, as well as treatments for cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.

The patent paves the way for Bangladesh to manufacture and distribute advanced vaccines locally, reduce reliance on imports, and explore international markets. 

It also underscores Bangladesh’s scientific progress as it approaches its 2026 graduation from least-developed country (LDC) status and navigates the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.