ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Friday announced that Pakistan will soon start the first phase of clinical trials for a novel coronavirus vaccine, as the race continues to find an effective method to combat the deadly pathogen.
Talking to private news channel, Fawad said that Pakistan is fully contributing to the 66 global studies being conducted on coronavirus adopting three different approaches including repurposed drugs, antibodies and vaccines.
This is Pakistan’s major step towards international efforts for controlling COVID-19 mortality, he said, adding that the quality of testing kits should not be compromised anymore as they would be strictly checked. “The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has prepared strict rules and regulations for testing the quality of coronavirus kits in the country,” he added.
Fawad said that all major health researchers in the world were focusing on this research and Pakistan was also included in such efforts, he added.
Fawad said that Pakistan is in dire need of safety kits, masks and ventilators amid COVID-19 outbreak. “We have increased our health system’s capacity against this pandemic and now we will start manufacturing ventilators on our own,” he said, adding that DRAP has completed legal proceedings in this regard and licencing process will start within a week before manufacturing.
The minister said that people should observe precautionary measures and stay at home unless it is necessary to go out in order to remain safe. “It is a matter of happiness that Pakistan’s young engineers and scientists are standing with us in this difficult time,” he said.
The minister added that a team led by Dr Attaur Rahman was also closely working with the World Health Organisation (WHP) for the development of an anti-coronavirus vaccine.
“Pakistani researchers are working under government-approved projects. They can develop a vaccine but the process will take little time,” he added.
He said that he admires Dr Rahman for leading these clinical trials for the vaccine. “As with all drugs and medical devices, government will assess and monitor the safety and effectiveness of all products,” he added.
