ISLAMABAD: State-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group, also known as Sinopharm, has tied up with Pakistan’s Karachi University’s International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences to supply coronavirus vaccines to Pakistan, international media has reported, quoting Pakistani government officials.
The developing world— which often lacks both a pharmaceutical industry to develop, test and produce vaccines and the money to purchase them from elsewhere— has been forced to seek supplies from allies or from international groups attempting to obtain vaccines for poor countries.
China hasn’t been a major vaccine producer globally. It needs to test its Covid-19 vaccines outside its borders, because coronavirus cases in China have dwindled and it is harder to find the population diversity required.
“Pakistan would get the vaccine on a priority basis,” an official involved in forging the agreement told the Wall Street Journal.
Pakistan would conduct Phase 1 trials of the vaccine and then move rapidly to the final-stage Phase 3 trial, which requires tens of thousands of volunteers. If the vaccine is safe and effective, Pakistan would receive enough vaccine to cover around a fifth of its population in the initial months of production, according to Pakistani officials who said financial terms hadn’t yet been worked out.
Pakistan, one of China’s closest allies in the developing world, will receive enough doses early in distribution to vaccinate the most vulnerable among its population of 220 million, including the elderly, health-care workers and people with medical conditions associated with serious cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.
About one-fifth of the country’s population could be covered by the allocation, the officials said.
The agreement, among the first China has reached as part of its efforts to test its coronavirus vaccine in populations beyond its borders, comes amid a global competition for access to vaccines that are now entering trials and expected to come to market in coming months.
Negotiations are under way with a second Chinese company to trial its vaccine in Pakistan, officials said.
China’s Sinopharm ties up with Karachi University to supply coronavirus vaccines to Pakistan
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China’s Sinopharm ties up with Karachi University to supply coronavirus vaccines to Pakistan
- Pakistan would conduct Phase 1 trials and then move rapidly to the final-stage Phase 3 trial, which requires tens of thousands of volunteers
- Pakistan would receive enough vaccine to cover around a fifth of its population in the initial months of production
Deputy PM Dar, Etisalat chairman discuss investment, stake in Pakistan’s PTCL
- The development comes against backdrop of a long-running dispute over PTCL privatization
- The issue has resurfaced in recent years as Pakistan seeks to advance privatization plans
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with Jassem Mohammed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, chairman of Etisalat (e&) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, and discussed with him investment prospects, including Etisalat’s stake in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The planned meeting with the Etisalat chairman comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute over the privatization of PTCL. The UAE-based telecom group has withheld a final payment of about $800 million linked to its 2005 acquisition of a 26 percent stake in PTCL, citing delays in the transfer of properties included in the deal, a position disputed by Pakistan.
The issue has resurfaced in recent years as Pakistan seeks to revive investor confidence, advance privatization plans and stabilize its finances under a program backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The meeting reviewed Pakistan-UAE trade & economic cooperation, explored opportunities to enhance investment, and discussed e&’s pending issues and ongoing engagement in Pakistan, including through its stake in PTCL,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
Pakistan and the UAE maintain close political and economic ties, with Abu Dhabi providing critical financial support to Islamabad in recent years through deposits, loans and investment commitments as Pakistan navigates a fragile economic recovery.
“DPM/FM highlighted the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating investment by the private sector and partner countries, and to further strengthening economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries,” the foreign ministry said after the meeting.
The Pakistani deputy PM arrived in the UAE on Friday on an official visit following his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to his ministry. He will also hold meetings with other UAE officials during the visit.
