Pharmaniaga to deliver 12 million Sinovac shots 4 months ahead of schedule

Pharmaniaga LifeScience Sdn Bhd (PLS), a subsidiary company of Pharmaniaga Bhd (Pharmaniaga), is expected to deliver 12.4 million doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to the government by next week, instead of November as stated under the original agreement.

Pharmaniaga managing director Zulkarnain Md Eusope said the supply was being hastened by four months following the surge in cases since April, adding that PLS is operating 24 hours each day in order to achieve the target.

Zulkarnain said PLS had so far delivered 11.5 million doses or 93% of the Sinovac vaccine, comprising 3.6 million doses through “fill and finish” manufacturing and 7.9 million doses of the imported finished product.

He said Pharmaniaga had signed a contract to supply about 12 million doses of the vaccine to the government with delivery to be completed by November.

“However, due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country, we (Pharmaniaga) have asked for speedier delivery.

“Alhamdulillah, we have done a ‘mix and match’, whereby we import the finished product (Sinovac) from China to be supplied to the government,” he said at a virtual media conference today on the latest developments pertaining to the Sinovac vaccine distribution.

He added that so far, PLS had supplied 5.5 million doses of the vaccine through “fill and finish” manufacturing, of which 3.6 million doses that were approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) had been delivered.

He also said that Pharmaniaga was prepared to provide additional supplies of the vaccine as requested by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and would offer an additional supply of two million doses to the government.

“We are waiting for further directives from the government… if it wishes to obtain this supply, we will give our cooperation and deliver it before the end of July,” he said.

Zulkanain also said that Pharmaniaga was prepared to supply the doses of the vaccine to state governments and the private sector after completing its supply to the federal government.

He said up until now, PLS had received orders for five million doses of the vaccine from state governments and the private sector.