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PETALING JAYA: The first deliveries of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine to Malaysia are expected in the first half of 2021, the pharmaceutical company says.
AstraZeneca Malaysia Country President Dr. Sanjeev Panchal said the company will provide 6.4 million doses of its potential vaccine, AZD1222, with no profit during the pandemic period.
“I am grateful for the guidance and leadership of the government, and I look forward to deepening our cooperation to fight Covid-19.
“When government, private sector and academia come together, much can be achieved to protect people’s lives and build a healthier Malaysia,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (December 23).
AZD1222 is a joint invention of the University of Oxford and its spin-off Vaccitech.
AstraZeneca said that under the agreement, it will expand its global manufacturing capacity to ensure an exclusive supply of the vaccine for Malaysia.
“This is taking place in parallel with ongoing clinical trials in the UK, the US, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and Russia.
“The results of an interim analysis of the phase III program conducted by the University of Oxford with AZD1222, peer reviewed and published in The Lancet on December 8, demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing Covid-19 symptomatic and protects illness and hospitalization, ”said the company.
AstraZeneca said it was working on preparations for rapid, science-based regulatory approval with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to ensure that the potential vaccine meets the highest safety standards and that its introduction comply with medical care. Malaysian regulations.
On Tuesday (December 22), Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government had signed an agreement with AstraZeneca for the acquisition of an additional 10% or 6.4 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.
He said the government is also in final negotiations with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya to secure an increased supply of vaccines to cover more than 80% or 26.5 million of the country’s total population.
The government had previously signed preliminary agreements with Covax and Pfizer for the acquisition of the Covid-19 vaccine to ensure a vaccine supply of 30% of the population.
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