Tobacco has officially become an important part of medical research and vaccine development. In fact, tobacco may be one of the most important plants in the medical world. This sounds like a paradox, right? Indeed, it is.
Once, tobacco was thought of as a malignant force that would harm our population through use and exposure. Our society was worried about underage sales, second-hand smoke, and adverse health effects of tobacco.
They may have had it all wrong, though. Now, Japan is using tobacco to develop a new, powerful influenza vaccination.
Currently, tobacco is being researched for use in developing a new influenza vaccine. The Latin American Herald Tribune reports, “Japanese pharma company Mitsubishi Tanabe has developed a vaccine production process using tobacco leaves which allows it to manufacture the vaccines at one-sixth of the time taken normally, Japanese financial daily Nikkei reported Tuesday” (“Japanese Company Produces Fastest Vaccines Using Tobacco Leaves” 1). Amazingly, this allows more people to receive vaccinations, and it allows vaccination prices to drop. People in the medical community are excited about this development.
Prices for vaccinations will drop for another reason, too. This is especially important for third-world countries, where vaccinations are most needed. The same article mentions, “Tobacco is cheap, grows quickly and has plenty of leaves, making it an ideal incubator for the vaccines” (1).
Businesses are always looking for ways to decrease the cost of production. One of the main ways to do so is by decreasing the costs for parts. The company is also “hopes to facilitate quality control processes and reduce costs by growing the vaccines in greenhouses” (1). If this process proves to be successful, many people could benefit from the decreased cost of influenza vaccines.
The future of this development process will likely be promising. The Latin American Herald Tribune states, “Meanwhile, the drug company is in the final stage of testing the safety and effectiveness of vaccines produced through this method and will conduct a series of clinical trials in the United States by the end of 2016, with a view to launching it between 2018-2020, the daily said.
The vaccines will be released first in the U.S. due to strict restrictions in Japan on production processes using genetic modification, according to Mitsubishi Tanabe” (1). This vaccination process is going to be used in the U.S. soon, and it will be a huge victory for both the public at large and tobacco enthusiasts.
“Japanese Company Produces Fastest Vaccines Using Tobacco Leaves.” Latin American Herald Tribune. Latin American Herald Tribune. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2406239&CategoryId=13936
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