- Advertisement -
News

Govt to receive 8.2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine by end-June, says Ismail Sabri

He says there will be no issue of a supply shortage as Pharmaniaga can assist with its existing plant.

Bernama
2 minute read
Share
Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob (second right) watches the bottling process for Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine during a visit to the bottling factory at Pharmaniaga Lifescience factory in Puchong today. Photo: Bernama
Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob (second right) watches the bottling process for Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine during a visit to the bottling factory at Pharmaniaga Lifescience factory in Puchong today. Photo: Bernama

The government will be acquiring a total of 8.2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine by the end of June, 3.8 million of them through fill-and-finish by Pharmaniaga Life Science Sdn Bhd.

Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said 4.4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were imported directly from China with 400,000 already distributed. One million doses have arrived while the remaining three million will be received by the end of next month.

“… from the Pharmaniaga Life Science Sdn Bhd plant, 1.8 million are ready while two million more will be available by the end of June, thus giving the government a total of 8.2 million doses then,” he said at a press conference after witnessing the “fill-and-finish” process at tje Pharmaniaga Life Science Sdn Bhd factory in Puchong today.

Also present was Pharmaniaga Bhd managing director Zulkarnain Md Eusope.

“There is no issue of a supply shortage as Pharmaniaga can assist with its existing plant. As such, what we have today as I said earlier is a minimum of 8.2 million doses of vaccine by the end of June,” Ismail said.

Ismail said as of yesterday, the Pharmaniaga factory had completed 1,889,800 doses of vaccine for distribution with the overall total vaccine production from the factory at 2,609,800 as of the end of May.

Meanwhile, Zulkarnain said the factory is ramping up production to four million doses of vaccine a month in August.

“Currently our capacity is two million doses a month and we are finalising the report from Sinovac so that we can fill up to two doses, but if the report is good, we submit to NPRA (National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency) for approval, then we meet the capacity of four million dose per month.

“That is the strategy. If this happens, hopefully as early as August we can supply up to four million doses a month to the government,” he said.

Sinovac Life Sciences of China appointed Pharmaniaga as exclusive distributor of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia in a ceremony signed early this year.