KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia has agreed to buy 12.8 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, becoming the first country in South-east Asia to announce a deal with the US drugmaker after some expressed reservations over the need for ultra-cold storage.
While final trial data showed that Pfizer's vaccine is 95 per cent effective, many Asian countries are not betting on it partly due to tropical heat, remote island communities and a lack of ultra-cold freezers.
Pfizer's vaccine, jointly developed with German partner BioNTech, must be stored and transported at minus 70 deg C, although it can be kept in a fridge for up to five days, or up to 15 days in a thermal shipping box.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday said Malaysia would give priority to "high-risk groups... including frontliners, senior citizens, and those with non-communicable diseases, such as heart diseases and diabetes".
Pfizer will deliver the first one million doses in the first quarter of next year, with 1.7 million, 5.8 million and 4.3 million doses to follow in subsequent quarters.
The deal is expected to cover 6.4 million Malaysians, or 20 per cent of the population, with another 10 per cent to be covered under Malaysia's participation in the global Covax facility, which is backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Malaysia, which will distribute the vaccine to its people for free, reported 1,109 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, bringing the national tally to 61,861. The death toll stands at 350.
The country plans to run a phase 3 trial of an experimental vaccine developed by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The trial will involve 3,000 participants.
Pfizer's vaccine still requires approvals from regulators including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Malaysia's Health Ministry before it can be distributed, Tan Sri Muhyiddin said during a televised address.
The FDA plans to meet on Dec 10 to discuss whether to authorise the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use.
Pfizer and BioNTech have clinched supply deals with several countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia and Britain.
They expect to produce globally up to 50 million doses of vaccines this year and up to 1.3 billion doses next year.
More than 150 potential vaccines are being developed and tested globally to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, with 48 in human trials, the WHO says.
This week, AstraZeneca said its vaccine, developed by Oxford University, could be around 90 per cent effective, following positive results from Pfizer, Moderna and Russia's Sputnik V.
REUTERS
