KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will not politically bulldoze Covid-19 vaccination under the pretext of an emergency, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said following the Trump administration’s move.
The minister tweeted that immunisation exercises will only be approved after obtaining the green light from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
His reaction came after US President Donald Trump pressured the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to expedite mass vaccinations in the country.
“In Malaysia, there will be no political pressure and we will not use the emergency as a pathway. The clinical data of the vaccines we procure will be independently evaluated by NPRA @KKMPutrajaya (Health Ministry) before it can be approved and registered for use,” Khairy tweeted.
Putrajaya has so far only dealt with two outfits for Covid-19 vaccine procurement – pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, and the Covid-19 vaccine global access facility, Covax.
Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is expected to cover 20% of the population whereas those of Covax are for 10%.
Last month, Khairy told the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia would be paying about RM94 million upfront for access to Covax vaccines.
As for the price tag for Pfizer’s, he told the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Wednesday, that it is estimated at RM3 billion.
Malaysia’s agreement with Pfizer – involving 12.8 million vaccine doses – has made it the first country in Southeast Asia to announce a deal with the US drugmaker after some expressed reservations over the need for the vaccine’s ultra-cold storage requirement.
Meanwhile, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah last week said Malaysia will not cite emergency reasons to approve the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
This was after the UK government authorised the vaccine for emergency cases early December.
He had said that Malaysia would monitor the use of the vaccine when the UK begins its immunisation plan.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was also quoted as saying in late November that regulatory clearance from the US FDA and Malaysia’s NPRA will be needed before the vaccine could be used here.
Pfizer is expected to deliver one million doses in the first quarter of next year, followed by batches of 1.7 million, 5.8 million and 4.3 million doses over the year. – The Vibes, December 12, 2020
