by SHAHEERA AZNAM SHAH / pic by AFP

THE government is asking pharmaceutical companies from the US, China, Russia and several European countries who are producing Covid-19 vaccines to show their products’ portfolios.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told Dewan Rakyat today that several aspects are being inquired, including the vaccine’s success rate to different groups of people.

As Malaysia has yet to have facilities to produce vaccines, Khairy said the National Science Council is developing a roadmap to make Malaysia one of the human vaccine producers in 10 years.

The roadmap will be completed in the second quarter of 2021, Khairy said.
He added that the ministry has approved RM2.1 million allocation through the Mosti Combatting Covid-19 Fund to Universiti Malaya for research and development of a Covid-19 vaccine.