He said the procurement of the vaccine is being made in two categories, namely the finished product of 500,000 doses, and the rest to be delivered in bulk and to be filled and packaged by local company Solution Biologics Sdn Bhd (SolBio).

“Through the procurement of the CanSino vaccine, which is a single-dose vaccine, a total of 3.5 million people in the country will benefit,” he told the media after witnessing the signing of an agreement between the health ministry and SolBio.

Adham said the CanSino vaccine would be used mainly in rural areas and areas where it was difficult for recipients to receive double injections, such as for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines.

“This single-dose vaccine can also be used for the purpose of vaccinating foreigners in Malaysia,” he added.

Under the agreement, SolBio will produce three million doses on a “fill and finish” basis to be supplied to the government.

However, Adham said the company still had to comply with all regulations related to registration with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency before it could undertake the supply of the CanSino vaccine.

“If the company fails to obtain the required registration approval, the agreement can be revoked because the government emphasises effectiveness, safety and quality,” he said.

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