Staff Reporter :
The Government of Bangladesh on Thursday signed a deal with Beximco Pharmaceuticals and the Serum Institute of India to buy three crore doses of the Oxford University innovated vaccine developed by AstraZeneca.
The officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Beximco Pharmaceuticals and the Serum Institute signed the memorandum of understanding in Dhaka.
Health Minister Zahed Maleque, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Vikram Doraiswami and Managing Director of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Nazmul Hassan Papon were present on the occasion.
“The long waiting will be ended soon. We will buy three crore doses of the vaccine whenever those are ready. Beximco will bring in the vaccine and supply the doses to the
Health Ministry which we can serve to 1.5 crore of people. That means one person is for two doses of the vaccine,” Zahid Maleque said.
The Minister said that the second shot of the vaccines have to be given 28 days apart.
“They will be able to supply 50 thousands of doses of the vaccine a month. According to the agreement, an approval from the World Health Organisation is required for use of the vaccines,” the minister said.
Beximco Pharma initiated the connection between the Bangladesh government and the Serum Institute of India, said Beximco MD.
British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca projected that the data from late-stage trials of the vaccine to get later this year.
AstraZeneca is developing the Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine, which is scoring billions in funding and signing multiple deals to supply over three billion doses to different countries.
AstraZeneca is expected to publish eagerly awaited late-stage clinical trial data within weeks.
Expectations are that Britain could start supply of the successful vaccine in the late December or early January next year.
