UAE to start manufacturing Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine this year – reports

  • Date: 07-Jan-2021
  • Source: Gulf Business
  • Sector:Healthcare
  • Country:UAE
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UAE to start manufacturing Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine this year – reports

The UAE will commence manufacturing the Sinopharm vaccine under licence from the Chinese drugmaker later this year.

The local production plan will cater to local and global demand, and will complement the millions of shots already received to inoculate its people.

Besides local manufacturing, the plan to achieve herd immunity by later this year, with 70 per cent of the UAE population inoculated is also anticipated. A probe into if the vaccine is suitable for children, further study of new strains and the ability of the incumbent vaccine to fight them off, and a campaign to ensure volunteers who received a placebo during Phase III Trials receive the vaccination, are among major developments expected in coming months, Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chairwoman of the National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee, and technology firm G42 told local newspaper The National.

"We are in advanced stages of discussion with our key strategic partners and are happy to announce that local manufacturing of the vaccine will be done in the UAE,“ Ashish Koshy, chief executive of G42 Healthcare. "We intend to commence production this year.“

"The goal is to be self-sufficient and to ensure that manufacturing can be done from A to Z locally,“ Mr