New Delhi, May 15: British American Tobacco (BAT), world's No. 2 manufacturer of cigarettes, has claimed to have developed a potential vaccine for coronavirus (COVID-19). In a statement on Friday, BAT said the potential vaccine for coronavirus was ready for human clinical trials which are expected to begin in June in the United States. The cigarette manufacturer is in touch with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other government agencies across the world. Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Developed by Oxford University Found to Be 'Protective' in Monkeys, Researchers Say It Stops Virus from Making Copies of Itself.

"In April, BAT announced that its biotech subsidiary, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), was developing a potential vaccine for COVID-19. Since then, we have been completing pre-clinical testing and are pleased to report the potential vaccine has been shown to produce a positive immune response," BAT said. "As such, the vaccine candidate is now poised to progress to the next stage which will be Phase 1 human clinical trials pending FDA authorisation," it added. Coronavirus Outbreak: China Confirms Unauthorised Labs Were Asked to Destroy Early Samples Taken From COVID-19 Patients.

The outbreak of coronavirus, which originated in the city of Wuhan, has claimed over 3 lakh lives worldwide. Several research institutes and companies are working on developing a vaccine for the deadly virus which has brought countries to on their knees. BAT also listed its efforts in several countries in the fight against coronavirus. In the United Kindom, the cigarette maker is providing equipment for use in COVID-19 testing centres.

"In several international markets, such as Brazil and Kenya, we’re using our distribution networks to ensure that medical and hygiene equipment reaches vulnerable communities. In Bangladesh, our factory is making a first batch of 60,000 bottles of hand sanitiser," BAT said. Notably, the World Health Organisation has also warned that smoking cigarettes makes you more likely to develop severe disease if you're infected by the novel coronavirus.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2020 09:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).