Pakistan's coronavirus vaccine moves into phase 3 trials. All we know so far
Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has approved the clinical trials for an indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine. As per Dawn reports, the committee has recommended that the trial be held in Indus Hospital Karachi.
The trials will be carried out by Pakistan's International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Karachi, in collaboration with a Chinese firm.
As many as 200 volunteers have been registered for the trials which will be completed in about 2 months.
All we know about Pakistan's COVID-19 vaccine so far
- The sample size of the volunteers will be 200 people coming from all ethnic groups across the country.
- The trial will be completed in 56 days.
- During this time, 3 injections of the inactivated virus will be administered to the volunteers.
- National Data Safety Monitoring Committee in Pakistan will closely monitor the safety of the patients and submit reports on a monthly basis.
- Dawn quoted a DRAP official as saying that if the trials were successful, the vaccine would be made available to the public.
- “Though vaccines are being prepared in different countries, we cannot surely say whether we will get them as there will be high demand for the vaccines across the globe. If this trial is successful, the vaccine will be easily available to us at affordable rates,” the official reportedly said.
- Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, who also heads the National Coordination and Operation Centre on Covid-19, said he was hopeful that the trials on the vaccine would be successful.
- All the volunteers in the trials are over 18 years old.
- An amount of Rs50,000 will be paid to each volunteer.
