KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Sinopharm’s coronavirus vaccine is now open in the private market in Malaysia via supplies from Duopharma Biotech Bhd, the product registration holder to sell and distribute the vaccine.
Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine is available at clinics and private hospitals nationwide and has a shelf life of 24 months, which is useful for longer-term vaccination efforts. The shipment of the two-dose inactivated vaccine first arrived in September after Malaysia’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) approved the vaccine for conditional use in July.
The Sinopharm vaccine is the third Covid-19 vaccine from China to be administered in Malaysia after Sinovac and CanSino. As of October 8, about 38 per cent of 51,593,462 vaccine doses delivered nationwide were Sinovac jabs and 0.6 per cent were CanSino doses.
To date, 95 per cent of Malaysia’s adult population has received at least one dose, including 91 per cent fully vaccinated.
Sinopharm’s vaccine is also included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency use listing and is approved for emergency use in over 65 countries, including in various European Union countries, with more than 100 million doses supplied worldwide.
Sinopharm is also among six Covid-19 vaccines brands recognised by Saudi Arabia, allowing Muslims who have been administered with the vaccine to perform hajj or umrah in Mecca. The Sinopharm vaccine is currently indicated for use in individuals aged 18 to 59 years.
“We are glad that Malaysia has managed to achieve a very high level of vaccination among adults and is making good progress among adolescents. The challenge in overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic requires collaboration and coordination at all levels.
“Duopharma Biotech is committed to supporting the government’s vaccination programme and augmenting PICK by expanding vaccine distribution channels to ensure full vaccine coverage in Malaysia,” said Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar, group managing director of Duopharma Biotech, in a statement today.
Earlier, local pharmaceutical company Duopharma Biotech entered into an agreement via its wholly-owned subsidiary Duopharma (M) Sdn Bhd to import the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine from Beijing, China.
The Sinopharm vaccine is packed conveniently into a single dose of 0.5ml per vial, which helps to prevent wastage and is easy for the planning of vaccine administration. The vaccine’s cold chain storage is also straightforward and easy at a standard conventional storage temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius.
Administration of the vaccine is fully integrated into the national immunisation system, where the vaccines are tracked based on the Vaccine Management System provided by the Ministry of Health, with real-time integration on both the Malaysia Vaccine Administration System (MyVAS) and the MySejahtera app.
Vaccinees receiving their first and second doses will immediately have these recorded on their MySejahtera accounts, and will also receive their digital certificate accordingly.
For vaccination of large groups, such as workers in manufacturing facilities, Duopharma Biotech, via collaboration with healthcare organisers, provides private vaccination services as well as mobile vaccine clinics, which is supported by a team of medical professionals, paramedics, site managers, and an operations and administration team.
Health care providers interested to procure the Sinopharm vaccine or corporations wishing to arrange for vaccination may contact Duopharma Biotech’s Customer Service for inquiries via email at [email protected].
