Vaccine on demand? No, not so soon

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: With Covid-19 cases soaring last week, state governments and the private sector had no wish to wait for the slow federal government wagon and were in a rush to procure vaccines on their own.

But it’s easier said than done. They are not likely to get any vaccines any time soon.

Firstly, there is no guarantee that state governments or the private sector can get the supply when even the federal government is waiting for stock that it ordered a long time ago.

Even assuming that someone manages to strike a deal to get it in, preparing and submitting a dossier, getting it evaluated by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and approved by the Drug Control Authority (DCA), and then placing orders may take at least seven months, said an industry source.

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