China’s private Sinovac Biotech Ltd has sought Bangladesh’s co-financing for phase-3 clinical trial of its prospective Covid-19 vaccine, more than a month after securing approval to carry out the last phase testing of its inoculate in the country.
“They [Sinovac Biotech Ltd] sent a letter to Bangladesh government seeking co-financing for performing phase-3 human trial,” health division secretary Abdul Mannan told BSS as approached for comments on an unconfirmed report.
He said the government would convey its decision to Sinovac after consulting the matter with relevant organizations and individuals as the Chinese company did not make the proposal when it obtained “our acceptance to carry out the trial”.
“It may take some time to reach a concrete decision on co-funding the vaccine trial . . . (but) Bangladesh government is sincerely thinking about the matter keeping in mind the issue of public benefits,” Mannan said.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) chief Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam said Sinovac’s new proposal came when Bangladesh exhausted the required steps to launch the trial.
“Bangladesh government, however, is still positive about carrying out the final trial of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese company” as it emerged as a forerunner in the global race for developing a coronavirus vaccine, said the DGHS director general.
The company channeled their original proposal to Bangladesh through the Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr’b), and obtained the health authorities final clearance on August 27 while officials familiar with the fresh development said they received Sinovac’s proposal seeking the co-funding on September 22.
Officials earlier said Bangladesh government approved the clinical trial of the vaccine in Bangladesh after examining all necessary research protocols including effectiveness and safety issues involving the inoculate.
Under the agreement, Bangladesh would get 100,000 doses of vaccine for free and get priority to purchase an adequate quantum of vaccines from the Chinese company.
“It now entirely depends on the Bangladesh government if they will co-finance the vaccine trial since there was no mention of the issue previously as the arrangements were being made,” an icddr’b official said preferring anonymity.
But, he said, organizations concerned in Bangladesh, Sinovac and his office by now completed all official procedures launch the vaccine trial.
According to icddr’b officials, Sinovac has already started its final trial of the vaccine in Indonesia, Turkey, and Brazil.
On July 19, 2020, Bangladesh’s regulatory Medical Research Council (BMRC) extended the initial “ethical approval” for the final or phase-3 human trial of Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine.
The Health Ministry officials said icddr’b sought to carry out the trial in seven health units dedicated to Covid-19 patients in Dhaka.
Those were Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) Unit-1, DMCH Unit-2, Kurmitola General Hospital, Kuwait Maitree Hospital, Mohanagar General Hospital, Mugda Medical College hospital, and the Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital.
The ministry earlier said they planned to carry out the clinical trial on healthcare professionals first in the seven designated hospitals as they are front liners.
They said that as many as 2,100 volunteers would be vaccinated, while another 2,100 people would remain beyond the vaccination to gauge its efficacy.
