PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The first Covid-19 vaccine trial to be conducted in Malaysia is now officially under way.

In a virtual ceremony on Wednesday (Jan 27), Health Minister Adham Baba launched the phase three clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by China's Institute of Medical Biology Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS).

Nine hospitals nationwide will be involved in the clinical trials under the coordination of Malaysia's Health Ministry's Institute of Clinical Research.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said the implementation of the trial must meet international standards and policies of Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Clinical Practices and the Helsinki Declaration.

"This will be closely monitored by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and the Medical Review and Ethics Committee of the Health Ministry.

"This initiative is a collaboration between the government of Malaysia and the government of China through IMBCAMS.

"This clinical trial can play a role in generating scientific evidence in the development of Covid-19 vaccines," the ministry said.

The trial involves 3,000 local volunteers over a period of 13 months.

The nine hospitals involved are the Ampang Hospital (Selangor), Sarawak General Hospital, Penang Hospital, Seberang Jaya Hospital (Penang), Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (Kedah), Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (Perak, Taiping Hospital (Perak), Sungai Buloh Hospital (Selangor) and Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim (Kedah).

The ministry said all hospitals are fully prepared for the trial and its facilities have been checked by IMBCAMS.