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KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 30): Pharmaniaga Bhd said it has established a task force as it prepares to distribute the Covid-19 vaccine, which is expected to be available by the end of the first quarter of next year, across the country.
Pharmaniaga Group Managing Director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope said that the group’s wholly owned subsidiary, Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd (PLSB), has a solid 26 years of experience in vaccine logistics and distribution that meet both constant temperature requirements for -20 ° C as between 2 ° C-8. ° C, and promises to give the highest priority to meeting the temperature requirement of the upcoming Covid-19 vaccine to ensure its continued quality, safety and efficacy.
“Vaccine transport is not like any other medicine, as any temperature gap outside the allowed range will affect its efficacy. To handle this, especially with the challenge of delivery to remote locations in Sabah and Sarawak, Pharmaniaga has perfected the medium. of transport and the process complies [with] the requirements of Good Distribution Practices (GDP).
“Each of the boxes will be sealed along with a temperature monitoring device that allows customers to verify temperature compliance. In addition, the delivery vehicles are equipped with Internet of Things devices that allow us to monitor the movement of vehicles, arrival time and temperature.
“We note that the Pfizer vaccine requires an ultra-cold temperature of -70 ° C, so the frozen pre-filled syringes will be delivered in insulated containers that are filled with dry ice to maintain the ultra-cold temperature,” Zulkarnain said.
He added that other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers like Moderna Inc require a temperature compliance of -20 ° C.
The government recently signed an agreement to buy enough doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to inoculate 6.4 million Malaysians.
“Most other vaccine manufacturers have announced standard temperature requirements of 2 ° C to 8 ° C. This creates the need for the high volume of vaccines to be managed according to the requirements of the PIB and the specifications established by the vaccine manufacturers, “he said. said.
Zulkarnain said that the current Pharmaniaga warehouses in Bukit Raja Shah Alam, Juru, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching have cold chain facilities with environmental monitoring system and backup power to ensure vaccines are safe for use. In addition, all of these warehouses have been licensed to handle cold chain products by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, and the facilities are continually being improved.
“We see the possibility that hospital stores will have significant limitations if a large volume of Covid-19 vaccine arrives beyond its storage capacity. In this regard, Pharmaniaga is considering a delivery system based on Just-in. Time to guarantee vaccination and restocking, ”he said.
Pharmaniaga’s stock closed six sen or 1.08% lower at RM5.50, for a market capitalization of RM1.44 billion.
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