Malaysia begins phase 3 trials of China-developed Covid-19 vaccine

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 30 : Malaysia has begun a phase 3 clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Medical Biology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMBCAMS), the Health Ministry said.
The initiative is a collaboration between the governments of Malaysia and China to generate scientific data in the development of the vaccine candidate to evaluate its safety and efficacy against Covid-19 infection, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
The trials will involve nine government hospitals across Malaysia and 3,000 volunteers for a period of 13 months.
In his speech during the virtual launching ceremony, Malaysian Health Minister Adham Baba said Malaysia is very pleased to work with China, through IMBCAMS in contributing to the search for scientific evidence in the development of the inactivated vaccine.
“With strong regulatory, certified researchers and experienced research sites, we are confident of producing quality scientific evidence to support the research vaccine,” he said.
“This cooperation will strengthen ties between China and Malaysia. I am very confident that we will have more opportunities to work together in the near future, bringing more positive results not only for both our countries, but also for the world,” Adham said.