OCTOBER 25 — The Minster of Health Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham Baba should clarify and make transparent the process for licensing and procuring the Coronavirus vaccines available while a bamboo flooring manufacturer company Kange International Berhad, with a close link to Umno politicians, has signed an agreement with a Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm to distribute, promote, and market its Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia even though Sinopharm’s candidate vaccine is still currently in Phase Three clinical trials and yet to be approved for full usage in Malaysia.
As of now, according to the New York Times’ Coronavirus Vaccine tracker, there are 12 Corona Virus vaccines are at the final stage of Phase 3 large-scale efficacy clinical trials before being approved for full use, including Chinese-produced Coronavirus vaccines, while there are 6 vaccines approved for limited and emergency usage worldwide.
Brazil’s Butantan’s institute has just approved the import of 6 million Sinovac’s Coronavirus vaccine for further Phase 3 clinical trials, after having established its safety and efficacy after having tested the vaccine on 9 thousand volunteers at Phase 3 clinical trials. Malaysia should have participated in clinical trials of vaccine safety and efficacy without declaring a state of emergency. Malaysia should have commenced an emergency effort to search for an effective vaccine in collaboration with other international pharmaceutical companies and WHO’s COVAX program from last March onwards. Apparently, the Sheraton Move and Sabah snap elections have shifted the country’s priority in fighting the Covid pandemic with effective means to self-interest political manoeuvres by the present Perikatan Nasional Government.
Both Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussien also announced on October 13 that Malaysia had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China to prioritize the distribution of the China-made Corona Virus vaccines by this coming December.
Nonetheless, according to internet portal Code Blue’s report dated October 5, quoting sources from Fitch Solutions, that it had been announced as early as last September 29 that a government politician linked company Kange International Berhad had already signed a three-year license agreement with China-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm to distribute, promote, and market its Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia before the said vaccine has been tested in clinical trials locally and officially approved for full usage in Malaysia.
While a diplomatic agreement with China for an easier access to China-made vaccines is welcome, the Minister of Health should make known to the public how any Coronavirus vaccines are to be licensed for emergency or full usage in Malaysia. In the meantime, Malaysia has depended on foreign agencies such as the US’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to license drugs and vaccines so far. Malaysia should have utilized this crisis to boost our own research and development capacity including the pharmaceutical field, beginning with the basic research technique such as validating the efficacy and safety of the Coronavirus Vaccines by participating in the clinical trials of various vaccines available.
Malaysia should learn from Japan where all pharmaceutical items such as vaccines have to be tested and validated by clinical trials conducted by their own agencies and research institutes before approval for full usage in that country. Currently, there are several Coronavirus vaccines being considered for licensing in Japan, which would not only ensure safety and efficacy of the vaccines to be licensed but also avoid monopoly of the market by any particular brand.
The federal government announced that Malaysia would import three million dosages of Corona vaccines were ordered under WHO’s COVAX program with equal access to the vaccine that would benefit only 5 to 10% of the population while bilateral agreements are to be made with China and British-Swedish pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca. Wider testing on vaccines is needed to ensure an adequate supply of any effective vaccines to the general public at affordable prices in the future.
In the midst of Covid pandemic, the emergency measures should have focused on laying down an urgent approach to resolve the crisis with science and technology. Phase 3 clinical trials on various Coronavirus vaccines could be conducted accordingly in the red zones especially Sabah and Selangor, including vaccines offered by Chinese firms, Oxford team under Astra Zeneca and any other potential candidate vaccines at Phase 3 clinical trials. This would help validate the safety profile and efficacy of each vaccine to be approved for full use, while shorten the time necessary to be approved for local usage.
I urge the Government of the day to stop politicizing the pandemic for their own political interest, but instead battle the Coronavirus pandemic as the foremost national interest, with sensible, scientific and public health approach by making transparent the process for licensing and procuring any Coronavirus vaccines in the market.
* Dr Boo Cheng Hau is the former assemblyman for Skudai and a Johor DAP state committee member.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
