KUALA LUMPUR: MY E.G. Services Bhd (MYEG) will conduct a phase three clinical trial for a Chinese biopharma manufactured Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia.
This follows a move by the flagship E-Government Solutions and Services provider inking a memorandum of understanding with Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Zhifei) for the purpose.
MYEG said the commencement of Phase 3 trial would make Zhifei's vaccine one of the first to undergo the final stage trial in Malaysia under the purview of the Health Ministry (MoH).
Upon successful completion of the Phase 3 trial, MYEG will be the sole distributor of the vaccine for 3 years in Malaysia.
MYEG said the cooperation with the Chinese biopharma firm was also to secure Halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) for the vaccine.
The company said Jakim's Halal accreditation would ensure increased acceptance of the vaccine among the global Muslim population.
"In the wake of the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, MYEG has leveraged its strengths and expertise as a leading digital services provider in the region to embark on several significant initiatives, guided by an overarching vision to provide a holistic solution to help in the fight against the coronavirus.
"Thus, MYEG sees the need for the establishment of a system to manage the logistics and administrative challenges for Covid-19 testing and vaccination to ensure effective implementation in the ongoing battle against the pandemic.
"As such a holistic approach is becoming the new norm in the post-Covid era, MYEG's cooperation with Zhifei represents a fitting and important complement to the Group's other related initiatives that are already ongoing."
Zhifei is a subsidiary of Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd., which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and has been engaged in the biological products industry since 2002, mainly the production of vaccines for human use.
The Chinese biopharma company is presently one of five Chinese companies conducting Phase 3 clinical trial of their Covid-19 vaccine in various parts of the world.