Clinical trials of proposed vaccine from next week

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Science and Technology Chairman Dr Attaur Rahman on Monday said that clinical trials of a proposed novel coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, produced by a well-acclaimed international company, is expected to commence locally next week.

Dr Rehman said that the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), based in the University of Karachi, has been approved for conducting clinical trials of the vaccine in partnership with a local hospital, he said.

An application for conducting clinical trials of this vaccine had been submitted to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for approval a few months ago.

Dr Rahman said usually it takes two to three months to complete clinical trials of any vaccine. “In Pakistan, the clinical trials in the first phase, likely to start next week, will be completed in around three months”, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2020.