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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia wants its acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines to benefit local pharmaceutical companies, says Khairy Jamaluddin.
“We want to explore how very costly acquisitions can also help develop the local pharmaceutical industry.
“It is important to use the procurement of vaccines to add value to local businesses,” he said, informing the media about the latest updates regarding the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.
Khairy said the government, which is in the final process of negotiations with three companies, China’s Sinovac and CanSinoBIO, as well as Russia’s Gamaleya, is looking at how these companies could add value to Malaysia’s vaccine development, including filling. finish the process.
He explained that the process of filling vaccine vials and packaging for distribution was an important process before the country could have the capacity to fully develop vaccines.
“We are also looking for companies that are willing to cooperate with us on research and development, technology exchange and transfer and those interested in investing here not only to make Covid-19 vaccines, but also other vaccines in the future,” he said. .
He added that Sinovac would work with local pharmaceutical companies, where the vaccines to be shipped in bulk would undergo the filling and finishing process here.
To a question, Khairy said the government had made an informed decision to sign an advance purchase agreement with AstraZeneca despite reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not yet approved the vaccine for emergency use. .
“We waited a lot and negotiated a reasonable price. But we will still wait for the clinical data, ”he said.
Malaysia is buying 6.4 million doses of vaccine from AstraZeneca and another 6.4 million doses from the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company through Covax.
In another matter, Khairy said Malaysia’s vaccine order to Pfizer would be one that has been “modified” if the existing one is found to be ineffective in the new mutation of the virus discovered in the UK.
He said Pfizer was monitoring the efficacy of its vaccine on the new mutation and would need six weeks to modify it if necessary.
“We will receive that (modified) vaccine. I will insist on this. We have not spoken with them, but I will raise the matter with Pfizer to ensure that regardless of the orders Malaysia has placed, we will receive the vaccine that can address the most infectious variant, “he added.
Malaysia has obtained 12.8 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer that can cover 6.4 million people.
The UK recently identified a potentially more contagious new coronavirus variant linked to an increase in cases in the country.
Currently labeled VUI-202012/01 (virus under investigation December 2020), the variant was first detected in the UK in September.
Khairy said the vaccine gifted to Malaysia by the UAE would be subject to regulatory approval from the National Drug Regulatory Agency.
“We have not received anything official about this, but the government’s position is that even if it is a form of gift given by the UAE, it will have to get approval from the NPRA (National Agency for Pharmaceutical Regulation),” he said.
Abu Dhabi has reportedly donated 500,000 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine to Malaysia.
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