The cabinet has approved a budget of 2.3 billion baht to support the development of the homegrown messenger RNA (mRNA)-based ChulaCov19 vaccine against Covid-19, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.
She said the money, to be drawn from the 500-billion-baht loan decree, would be spent to subsidise third-phase trials and registration for emergency use of the jab candidate being developed by Chulalongkorn University's vaccine research centre.
In August the research team announced the vaccine's success in its first phase of human trials.
The second phase on 150 volunteers is planned shortly while "Phase 2b" is scheduled for later in the year with 5,000 volunteers.
According to Ms Rachada, the cabinet has also approved in principle an allocation of 1.3 billion baht to fund the development of a tobacco-based vaccine known as "Baiya".
The plant-based vaccine is being developed by by Baiya Phytopharm, a startup company under the CU Enterprise programme.