Malaysia set to produce its first human vaccine from 2028
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At present, Malaysia imports all its vaccines, sourced from countries such as the US, Japan, and Indonesia.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
- Malaysia will produce its first locally made human vaccine, the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), by 2028 to reduce reliance on imports.
- The vaccine is developed by Pharmaniaga with technology transfer from a Chinese company, aiming to strengthen Malaysia's health security.
- The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for domestic vaccine production to ensure timely access and price control during health crises.
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PETALING JAYA – Malaysia is set to produce its first locally made human vaccine as early as 2028.
This marks a major step towards reducing reliance on imported vaccines and strengthening the country’s health security.
The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, or PCV13, is an injection that protects against 13 types of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria which cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia and meningitis.
The local company involved in the manufacturing of the vaccine is Pharmaniaga, with technology transfer from a company in China.
At present, Malaysia imports all its vaccines, sourced from countries such as the US, France, Belgium, Japan, South Korea, India, Thailand and Indonesia.
In the interview with The Star, Malaysia’s Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said local production of PCV13 would help strengthen the country’s preparedness for future health crises and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers in the long run.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic had shown the risks of not having domestic capability in critical technologies such as vaccines.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine was something very important. But we didn’t have the capability to develop human vaccine, so we had to rely on other countries,” he said.
“When you rely on other countries, they will decide when to deliver the vaccine to us and they will decide what price they want to sell to us. So it becomes an issue, especially when a crisis happens,” he added.
Chang said this was why Malaysia must strengthen its technology sovereignty, particularly in areas that are critical during emergencies.
“Our target is to possess the capability to develop human vaccine by 2030. But we might achieve it earlier, in 2028,” he said.
He added that Malaysia is currently working on two vaccine-related developments, including a hexavalent vaccine for children. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
