First vaccine report of last-stage trial likely next week: Health DG
COVID-19 | One of the companies making a Covid-19 vaccine will most likely release its first report on the third phase of its clinical trial next week, according to the Health Ministry.
Currently, there are 12 companies developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, but Malaysia has only engaged 10 of them...
COVID-19 | One of the companies making a Covid-19 vaccine will most likely release its first report on the third phase of its clinical trial next week, according to the Health Ministry.
Currently, there are 12 companies developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, but Malaysia has only engaged 10 of them.
“We are only negotiating with 10 companies and we were informed that one of the companies will most likely be able to give a report from its third phase of the clinical trial,” Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Previously, he had said that the ministry had yet to receive any reports from any of the companies’ last-stage trials.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had announced on Nov 27 that Malaysia signed agreements to procure sufficient Covid-19 vaccine doses to vaccinate 30 percent of the population.
He said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba had signed a preliminary purchase agreement on Nov 24 with US drugmaker Pfizer for 12.8 million doses of its vaccine, which would be enough for 6.4 million people or 20 percent of the population.
This is contingent on Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Malaysian National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
Adham had also signed an agreement with the Covax facility on Nov 22 to provide vaccines for another 10 percent of Malaysia’s population.
Noor Hisham stressed that the agreements depend on whether the vaccines are approved by the FDA and the NPRA.
He added that the Health Ministry will also constantly monitor and evaluate the efficacy of the vaccines as well as any side effects.
The reason why Malaysia inked these agreements earlier is because of the concern that there would not be enough of the vaccines to purchase once they are released to the market, the Health DG explained.
“Our concern is when the vaccines have been registered, it will be like the ventilators in the second wave, where we wanted to buy, but there wasn’t enough because every country also wanted to buy it,” he said.
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