[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Khairy Jamaluddin has said that the government would not proceed with the procurement of the Covid-19 vaccine from Sinovac if it was not satisfied with its safety and efficacy.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation said that any acquisition of vaccines is subject to the approval of the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
“If we are not satisfied with the safety and efficacy, we will not continue with the acquisition. Sinovac clinical data is just being published. We will review the data and decide, ”he said in a series of tweets on Wednesday (January 13).
He was responding to news reports that Brazilian clinical trials found the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to be 50.4% effective.
“That is why our strategy has been a portfolio of vaccines. To ensure we have sufficient supply and mitigate regulatory and manufacturing issues.
“Buy from more than one source. Besides the fact that no manufacturer can satisfy all of our requirements. Same for most countries, ”Khairy said in a follow-up tweet.
Malaysia is among the countries that have ordered the Sinovac vaccine from China.
Khairy had said on Tuesday (January 12) that the government is paying less for the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac, as the bottling process will take place in Malaysia.
He said that Pharmaniaga Bhd would oversee the bottling process for the vaccine, which is expected to be ready for distribution by the end of March.
“Indonesia receives the Sinovac vaccine early because it was tested in clinical trials before registering.
“Brazil, Turkey also conducted clinical trials with Sinovac due to the large number of cases last year,” Khairy said in a subsequent tweet that was accompanied by a news report that Indonesian President Joko Widodo had received his first Sinovac vaccine dose.
Turkey had said that the vaccine was 91.25% effective, while Indonesia said that it was 65.3% effective.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said on Monday (January 11) that for Malaysia to gain herd immunity, between 60% and 70% or 20-23 million of Malaysia’s population must be vaccinated.
So far, the NPRA has granted conditional registration for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, and the government announced last year that it would get 12.8 million doses of the jointly developed Covid-19 vaccine.
Malaysia has also signed agreements to purchase 6.4 thousand doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.
He is also in negotiations with Cansino and Gamaleya for the vaccine.
Good luck to Indonesia. Indonesia received the Sinovac vaccine early because it became the country where the vaccine was tested in clinical trials before being registered. Brazil, Turkey also conducted clinical trials with Sinovac due to its high number of cases last year. https://t.co/jfliuGHcUO
– Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) January 13, 2021
[ad_2]
