KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — The Health Ministry (MOH) yesterday signed term sheet agreements with two vaccine suppliers, Pharmaniaga Lifescience Sdn Bhd (PLS) and Duopharma (M) Sdn Bhd for the procurement of 18.4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine for 28.75 per cent of the Malaysian population.
MOH, in a statement yesterday said PLS would supply 12 million doses of Covid-19 coronavac, SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated produced by Sinovac Life Science Co. Ltd, which would be distributed in stages beginning April.
“Duopharma will supply 6.4 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine, produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia. The vaccine is expected to be distributed in stages by end-March 2021,” it said.
MOH said for the Covid-19 coronavac vaccine, SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated, each recipient will be given two shots 14 days apart.
With the 12 million doses, the MOH expects the immunisation programme to cover 3.2 million people or 18.75 per cent of the Malaysian population, aged 18 years and above
“As for the Sputnik V vaccine, each recipient will receive two shots with 21 days interval between the first and second dose. The MOH expects that the vaccine will cover 3.2 million people or 10 per cent of the total population,” the statement said.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba signed the agreements on behalf of the MOH, while PLS managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope and Duopharma Biotech Berhad Group managing director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar, represented the two companies.
The statement said the two companies would start supplying the vaccines after obtaining approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division (NPRA) and the Drug Control Authority.
Previously, the MOH had signed agreements with Pfizer and AstraZeneca for the supply of 24.28 million doses and 6.4 million doses of vaccine, respectively.
The procurement of the vaccines will be included in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme which is currently in the final process of getting government approval.
— Bernama
