KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 17): China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), through GI Healthcare Resources Sdn Bhd — a joint-venture company (JVCo) with local investors — has agreed to sponsor 10,000 doses of the former's Covid-19 vaccine for Malaysian frontliners.

The sponsorship was agreed upon yesterday via a meeting between Malaysian officials, led by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and Health Minister Datuk Dr Adham Baba, and Sinopharm's chairman Liu Jingzhen via video conferencing.

Meanwhile, GI Healthcare Resources was represented by Tan Sri Lim Yew Loong, Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum, Sim Guan Yu and Rosli Dahlan as its advisers while Liu represented the firm in the video conference.

The Home Ministry and the Health Ministry expressed support for the company's proposal to sponsor the vaccine doses for emergency use in Malaysia for frontline workers, especially medical officers and the police, said the JVCo in a statement.

According to GI Healthcare Resources, Sinopharm is currently carrying out Phase III trials on its two vaccine candidates in 10 countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, and Morocco, involving over 55,000 subjects.

The company said none of the trial participants reported any adverse reactions or side effects.

Its vaccines have also been approved for emergency use in China, the UAE and Bahrain involving more than a million frontliners, said GI Healthcare Resources.

"More than 60,000 personnel who have been vaccinated have gone to work in more than 180 countries overseas without a single reported case of Covid-19 infection," it added.

GI Healthcare Resources claimed that based on the examples above, Sinopharm's vaccine effectiveness is close to 100%.

"Of the 99 employees in Huawei's Mexico office, 81 were vaccinated and 18 were not vaccinated. After the outbreak, none of the 81 vaccinated employees were infected, whereas 10 out of the 18 employees who were not vaccinated were diagnosed to be Covid-19 positive," it added.

The company said Sinopharm's vaccines are leading in terms of safety, effectiveness, and accessibility, as they can be stored and transported at temperatures ranging between 2°C and 8°C, which they claim is far more practical and convenient compared with vaccines by other pharmaceutical firms, which may face storage and logistical issues.

"This will enhance the assessment process for registration of the vaccine in Malaysia," it added.