ISLAMABAD: A representative of Pakistani private pharmaceutical company AGP Limited has said China’s CanSino Biologics coronavirus vaccine would be brought in bulk in Pakistan and from next month would be packed at a filling plant at the National Institute of Health, Pakistan media reported on Tuesday, adding that the country would soon start manufacturing the vaccine itself through ‘technology transfer’ from China.
On Monday, an AGP official told media the company would begin receiving shipments of China’s CanSino Biologics COVID-19 vaccine this week for commercial sale.
“It will reduce the price of the vaccine by up to 30pc (around Rs3,000),” technical Adviser to AGM Pharma, Dr. Hassan Abbas Zaheer, told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, referring to the vaccine being packed at the NIH in the future. “At a later stage, it will be manufactured in Pakistan through transfer of technology. This has been made possible because the clinical trial of Cansino was held in Pakistan.”
Zaheer said though Pakistan was a vaccine insecure country currently, “soon it would become a secure country as vaccine production would begin here and dependence on other nations would end.”
“The vaccine will be manufactured under a public-private partnership project,” Zaheer added. “Currently India’s vaccine manufacturing industry is worth $5 billion. Pakistan can also start producing a number of vaccines including Covid-19.”
Pakistan, one of the first countries in the world to allow private imports of COVID-19 vaccines, last week received a batch of the Russian Sputnik vaccine. The batch has been imported by AGP which is working with the government to set a price cap for privately imported vaccines before it can use the doses for commercial sale.
China’s CanSino vaccine to be made in Pakistan soon through ‘technology transfer’ — media
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China’s CanSino vaccine to be made in Pakistan soon through ‘technology transfer’ — media
- Pharma company AGP says company would begin receiving shipments of CanSino vaccine this week for commercial sale
- CanSino vaccine to be brought in bulk in Pakistan and from next month packed at plant at National Institute of Health, AGP says
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
