Butantan Biomedical Institute in Brazil announced that they began to produce their very own COVID-19 vaccines, ButanVac. While local media reported that the institution lacks regulatory approval to hold clinical trials.

Butantan expects to produce 18 million doses by the end of this year, and Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria calling the news “significant news for Brazilian and global science,” according to local media.

The institute first made an announcement in March, saying it was developing a vaccine and expected to start using it in July.

Butantan is the largest vaccine producer in Brazil and makes the CoronaVac shot developed by Chinese firm Sinovac, the most widely used against the pandemic in the South American country.

The institute is also heavily backed by governor Doria, who is expected to challenge President Jair Bolsonaro in next year’s general election.

Doria also said that ButanVac will also be produced in Thailand and Vietnam, to be distributed to poorer countries.