• Potential vaccine in development for COVID-19 using new, fast-growing tobacco plant technology – pre-clinical testing under way
• Tobacco plants offer the potential for faster and safer vaccine development compared to conventional methods
• Potential to manufacture 1-3 million doses of vaccine per week

April 1, 2020: BAT’s US bio-tech subsidiary, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), is developing a potential vaccine for COVID-19 and is now in pre-clinical testing. If testing goes well, BAT is hopeful that, with the right partners and support from government agencies, between 1 and 3 million doses of the vaccine could be manufactured per week, beginning in June.

While KBP remains a commercial operation, the intention is that its work around the Covid-19 vaccine project will be carried out on a not for profit basis.

The vaccine in development uses BAT’s proprietary, fast-growing tobacco plant technology which has several advantages over conventional vaccine production technology:

• It is potentially safer given that tobacco plants can’t host pathogens which cause human disease.
• It is faster because the elements of the vaccine accumulate in tobacco plants much more quickly – 6 weeks in tobacco plants versus several months using conventional methods.
• The vaccine formulation KBP is developing remains stable at room temperature, unlike conventional vaccines which often require refrigeration.
• It has the potential to deliver an effective immune response in a single dose.

BAT’s US subsidiary, Reynolds American Inc, acquired KBP in 2014, with the aim of using some of its unique tobacco extraction technology to aid further development of its new category non-combustible products.

In 2014, KBP made headlines as one of the few companies with an effective treatment for Ebola, having manufactured ZMapp™ with California-based company Mapp BioPharmaceuticals in partnership with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

KBP recently cloned a portion of COVID-19’s genetic sequence which led to the development of a potential antigen – a substance which induces an immune response in the body and in particular, the production of antibodies. This antigen was then inserted into tobacco plants for reproduction and, once the plants were harvested, the antigen was then purified, and is now undergoing pre-clinical testing.

BAT is now exploring partnerships with government agencies to bring its vaccine to clinical studies as soon as possible. Through collaborations with government and third-party manufacturers, BAT believes that between 1 and 3 million doses per week could be manufactured.

Dr David O’Reilly, Director of Scientific Research, BAT said: “We are engaged with the US Food and Drug Administration and are seeking guidance on next steps. We have also engaged with the UK’s Department for Health and Social Care, and BARDA in the US, to offer our support and access to our research with the aim of trying to expedite the development of a vaccine for Covid-19.

“Vaccine development is challenging and complex work, but we believe we have made a significant break-through with our tobacco plant technology platform and stand ready to work with Governments and all stakeholders to help win the war against Covid-19. We fully align with the United Nations plea, for a whole-of-society approach to combat global problems.”

“KBP has been exploring alternative uses of the tobacco plant for some time. One such alternative use is the development of plant-based vaccines. We are committed to contributing to the global effort to halt the spread of Covid-19 using this technology.”

 About BAT: BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business, established in 1902. Our purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers. Our ambition is to increasingly transition our revenues from cigarettes to non-combustible products over time.

About Kentucky Bioprocessing (KBP): BAT owned KBP is located in Owensboro, Ky., where it began operations in 2006. In January 2014, KBP was acquired by and became an independently operated, wholly-owned subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), owned by BAT. KBP continues to house its large, multilevel indoor plant-growth space, as well as its research and production laboratories, clean rooms and manufacturing operations in Owensboro.

KBP develops and executes processes to transform tobacco plants into “biomanufacturing factories” that efficiently produce complex proteins they would not otherwise produce. The company can grow, harvest and process as many as 3 million protein-producing tobacco plants in a production cycle that typically takes about six weeks – compared with many months using traditional biomanufacturing methods.

The company uses licensed and proprietary technologies to temporarily encode tobacco plants with the genetic instructions to produce specific target proteins. The plants are grown in an automated, climate-controlled environment that can be adjusted to optimize their production of a protein of interest.

Forward Looking Statements

References to ‘British American Tobacco’, ‘BAT’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ when denoting opinion refer to British American Tobacco p.l.c. (the Company, and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”).

This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including “forward-looking” statements made within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations reflecting knowledge and information available at the time of preparation and concerning, amongst other things, prospects, growth, strategies and uncertainties related to regulatory approval and the results of pre-clinical testing. BAT undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “aim,” “believe,” “explore,” “anticipate,” “could,” “may,” “would,” “should,” “intend,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “will,” “estimate,” “strategy” and similar expressions. It is believed that the expectations reflected in this release are reasonable but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, including uncertainties related to regulatory approval and the results of pre-clinical testing.

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Several employees at many bus companies have accused their managers of not paying them their monthly salary.

Patrick Mwesigwa the manager in charge of luggage at Global buses, has told Eagle online  that all their workers were sent home, only those few working on cargo luggage were allowed to remain operating and those home are not paid until they resume work again.

Mwesigwa says that the company is not operating and this means its income is down therefore; their employees who are home are not paid.

He said that the company cannot manage pay employees who are not doing anything for the company yet it is also battling with bank loans.

He says he is also touched about how the employees are not given given any pay, not even a half of the salary but they have nothing to do because their employees are not the only ones going through these tough situations.

“This pandemic situation is regrettable; no one should be blamed for this shut down. The Presidents loves his citizens and he wants his people to remain safe, that is why he stopped the public transport and we had to comply with the president’s directives. “Says Mwesigwa.

Moses Godfrey Kaita, one of the employees with YY coaches told Eagle Online that they are totally struggling as employees because their job with these buses has been all they have to feed their families.

“YY only pays workers who are on the cargo, it provides transport to and fro but that employee who is not at work, it is hard for a company to pay that person. He says that if the Government cannot manage paying its people, how about a small company like YY coaches”. Says Kaita.

Kaita, says employees ranges from security guards both of bus park and those have been moving with buses, conductor, turn man, driver, spare driver, trainees, booking clerk, accountants, off and on loaders to managers, all these people are home sited with no source of income.

He says YY Company has over 80 buses that have over 400 employees which are now jobless and not earning any money and even when the company will start operating, it will make some to remain until the business start picking up.

“Even when we will begin working, things will still be tough for us because some employees will have been in total loans. Kaita says the president should have at least told them to have all the preventive measures and limited the numbers of passengers in each bus. This would have kept some workers on work.”Kaita remarks.

Kaita says this will have a big and negative effect on everyone. This shutdown will leads the people who are not earning into robbery and theft since some people will not sit down and see the family members eating not or dying of hunger.

“Though we have remained in transporting the luggage, we shall not deliver them into peoples door steps, still they will need a boda to pick these luggage which you may not be sure if the boda guy will deliver them. We have seen boda guys end up taking clients luggage to their homes.”

Kaita thinks President should have handled this matter like Tanzania which said that let citizens work and makes sure they are concerned with each other. If you identify a patient, take charge and bring the patient to health facilities.

A security guard at Link Bus Park and Baby coaches Bus Park in Kisenyi says that the business is at stand still, they only report on duty in the morning, sit, eat and go back in the evening. They said all the buses were taken away and they are now in garages being serviced.

“My brother, you can see the park is empty and all the workers were sent home and you see the offices are totally closed until the president directs us to resume operating.” A security guard at Link Bus Park told Eagle Online.

Following the Ministry of Health confirmation of five new Covid-19 cases, President Yoweri Museveni On Wednesday 25th 2020, suspended the use of buses, taxis, and boda bodas among other public means of transport in order to curtail the spread of the deadly COVID-19.

The President, however, said that only passenger vehicles are prohibited, meaning that the cargo trucks are allowed to continue operating.

Museveni also said that Boda-bodas and other public means may operate if they are making deliveries.

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