Chinese firm refuses to honour pact on sharing Covid-19 vaccine tech with Bangladesh

[Black_cats]

Chinese firm refuses to honour pact on sharing Covid-19 vaccine tech with Bangladesh

AFP
(Representational image)


By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, ET Bureau
Oct 03, 2020, 10:46 PM IST


New Delhi: The much-hyped mass trial of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh has become uncertain and may even be a non-starter after drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd asked the Hasina governmentto co-finance the initiative.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd in a letter on September 24 said the trial would be delayed unless the Bangladesh government provided funds, although the company was supposed to bear the costs as per an agreement.


The Beijing-based vaccine giant sent the letter to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), which was to conduct the trial.

"They [Sinovac] informed us that they would be able to start the trial soon if we co-fund the initiative. We will make a decision after talking to the prime minister," Abdul Mannan, secretary of the health services division at the health ministry, told leading Bangladesh English daily The Daily Star.

“We are not dependent on Sinovac. The government is looking for other avenues to get the vaccine right after it is developed," Mannan told The Daily Star.

The Sinovac letter did not mention how much fund it would need and why it was seeking funds at the last moment, according to The Daily Star.


Experts told the newspaper that Sinovac's demand was "not fair" and speculated that the company might have run the required number of trials in other countries.

"They probably fulfilled their enrollment criteria for the approval. Now they are placing the financial burden on us," said Prof Sayedur Rahman, member of the ethical review committee of the Bangladesh Medical and Research Council (BMRC).


There is a requirement for human trials on 10,000 to 30,000 people to get any vaccine approved globally, he said.

Prof Nazrul Islam, a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19, said, "This makes everything unclear. We recommended the trials considering the technology transfer, because that would have gotten us the vaccines at a cheaper rate”

Bangladesh’s pharma major Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BPL) has agreed to invest with Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd (SII) in the effort to bring out an approved vaccine for Covid-19.

Chinese firm refuses to honour pact on sharing Covid-19 vaccine tech with Bangladesh - The Economic Times

Sinovac Biotech Ltd in a letter on September 24 said the trial would be delayed unless the Bangladesh government provided funds, although the company was supposed to bear the costs as per an agreement. The Beijing-based vaccine giant sent the letter to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal...

www.google.com

 

[Black_cats]

Published on 12:00 AM, October 03, 2020
Chinese Vaccine Trial in Bangladesh: Sinovac now wants co-financing
Dhaka yet to reply to its proposal

A doctor holds a box of China's Sinovac vaccine, a potential vaccine for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), at the Sao Lucas Hospital of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), in Porto Alegre, Brazil on August 8, 2020. File photo: Reuters/ Diego Vara

Moudud Ahmmed Sujan

The much-talked-about mass trial of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh has become uncertain after drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd asked the government to co-finance the initiative.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd in a letter on September 24 said the trial would be delayed unless the government provided funds, although the company was supposed to bear the costs as per an agreement.

The Beijing-based vaccine giant sent the letter to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), which was to conduct the trial.

The icddr,b forwarded it to the health ministry.
"They [Sinovac] informed us that they would be able to start the trial soon if we co-fund the initiative. We will make a decision after talking to the prime minister," Abdul Mannan, secretary of the health services division at the health ministry, told The Daily Star on Thursday.

"We are not dependent on Sinovac. The government is looking for other avenues to get the vaccine right after it is developed," he said.

The Sinovac letter did not mention how much fund it would need and why it was seeking funds at the last moment.

The officials concerned refused to comment on the issue.

Experts said Sinovac's demand was "not fair" and speculated that the company might have run the required number of trials in other countries.

"They probably fulfilled their enrollment criteria for the approval. Now they are placing the financial burden on us," said Prof Sayedur Rahman, member of the ethical review committee of the Bangladesh Medical and Research Council (BMRC).

There is a requirement for human trials on 10,000 to 30,000 people to get any vaccine approved globally, he said.

Prof Nazrul Islam, a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19, said, "This makes everything unclear."

Currently, the potential vaccine is being trialled in countries including Brazil, Turkey, and Indonesia.

On July 18, the BMRC gave permission to the icddr,b to conduct human trials of the vaccine at seven hospitals in the capital.

The clinical trial of the Chinese shot was supposed to start by the end of last month as icddr,b was supposed to get the necessary doses for the trial.

As per the contract, Sinovac would provide 110,000 free vaccine doses to Bangladesh if the Phase-III trial of the vaccine is proven safe.

Besides, the company committed to let a "qualified" Bangladeshi drugmaker produce the shots at a discounted price, so that the needs of the people of Bangladesh are met.

Prof Nazrul said, "We recommended the trials considering the technology transfer, because that would have gotten us the vaccines at a cheaper rate.

The icddr,b has already engaged its scientists and appointed necessary human resources for the trial, sources said .

Sinovac has not fixed the price of its vaccine yet. Another Chinese company Sinopharm has announced that two shots of its vaccine, expected to become available in December, might cost around $145.

Meanwhile, Oxford University and AstraZeneca say their vaccine will be about $4 per dose.
Quoting Sinovac Chairman and CEO Yin Weidong, Chinese media on September 25 reported that the company might begin analysing data from final-stage human trials this year to decide whether it is effective enough to seek regulatory approval.

Some western companies are also racing to evaluate efficacy of their vaccines, the report added.

Sinovac can start assessing the vaccine's ability to protect people as soon as researchers observe at least 61 trial subjects, its CEO told a news conference.

Chinese Vaccine Trial in Bangladesh: Sinovac now wants co-financing

The much-talked-about mass trial of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh has become uncertain after drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd asked the government to co-finance the initiative.

www.google.com

 

[bluesky]

Chinese Vaccine Trial in Bangladesh: Sinovac now wants co-financing
Dhaka yet to reply to its proposal

How long BD wants to live on the goodwill of other countries? It should bear the costs of vaccine trial and put its name in the vaccine research jointly by the Chinese and BD.

No more free lunch, please, especially when the trials will be conducted jointly by two private pharmaceutical companies of the two countries.

BD should grow some self-respect instead of begging for donations and credits from various countries like a lecher wants to sleep with every other woman.

 

[TOTUU]

news from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/
LOL OK , Indian media is indeed very powerful, it can influence the perception of many people 。
In my opinion, the power ranking of the world media:
1. European and American media
2. Indian media
3. Russian media
But the media is only the media after all.
After all, this world depends on facts and strength, not on words/mouth

 

[shjliu]

I would very much like to see the agreement showing China will provide vaccine to BD for free and will guve BD the know how of vaccine！

 

[bluesky]

After all, this world depends on facts and strength, not on words/mouth

However, people do not hear what the faraway govt agencies say. So, it is effectively through the voice of the Press the people come to know about events believing them to be true.

Press should, therefore, be very responsible to what it prints.

 

[bluesky]

I would very much like to see the agreement showing China will provide vaccine to BD for free and will guve BD the know how of vaccine！

I do not think there is an Agreement, except that there may have an understanding which is not a commitment.

In any case, BD pharmaceutical company must finance a part of the cost of trials. Nothing is free in this world except probably the Sunlight. Men's all activities are paid by somebody, but, men is then rewarded.

 

[Black_cats]

I do not think there is an Agreement, except that there may have an understanding which is not a commitment.

In any case, BD pharmaceutical company must finance a part of the cost of trials. Nothing is free in this world except probably the Sunlight. Men's all activities are paid by somebody, but, men is then rewarded.

BD is participating in a trial itself is a kind of risk that BD is bearing as effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine is unknown. In most case the company that run the trial pays the bill. I do not know if the Chinese company agreed to transfer the tech to BD to produce and use it in Bangladesh at a lower rate.

 

[atan651]

Sinovac is a small cap company. Yes, I once invested in this company more than 15 yrs ago. It certainly doesn't have the financial resources alone to conduct all the trials. I hope the BD govt understands that.

 

[bluesky]

BD is participating in a trial itself is a kind of risk that BD is bearing as effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine is unknown. In most case the company that run the trial pays the bill. I do not know if the Chinese company agreed to transfer the tech to BD to produce and use it in Bangladesh at a lower rate.

Since BD is not willing to take risks of its people's life while under trial the best option is not accept the Chinese proposal. After all, BD lives are very precious. In that case, the Chinese private company may do the trial on Chinese people.

Participating in the trial itself is no leverage to ask for technology transfer from China because the Chinese company has already spent quite a few million dollars on the project. Bd can certainly do its own research by its own money and talented researchers.

 

[idune]

Since BD is not willing to take risks of its people's life while under trial the best option is not accept the Chinese proposal. After all, BD lives are very precious. In that case, the Chinese private company may do the trial on Chinese people.

Participating in the trial itself is no leverage to ask for technology transfer from China because the Chinese company has already spent quite a few million dollars on the project. Bd can certainly do its own research by its own money and talented researchers.

This whole episode happened because Hasina, a geo political nincompoop, thought she can hide her indian slavery through some lip service action on Chinese vaccine trial. Hasina and awami league delayed the trial of Chinese vaccine, just before her indian master sent its foreign secretary. China getting the wiff of indian on going slavery and appeasement, shifted fund allocated for Bangladesh trial to some other willing country. Not to mention, Hasina recently sent 3 of awami minister to accept gift from Taiwanese officials challenging a RED line in Chinese foreign policy. China clearly sending message to Hasina and awami league indian stooges - no more preferential treatment, if you want vaccine, you need to buy it. NO ONE can blame China in this regard, after all, China provided Bangladesh duty free access to its huge market.

"BD is not willing to take risks of its people's life"

That line is way to epic to comment on. Just to add, BD is free and "rich" country to buy vaccine from open market. Or are you suggesting BD people life only dedicated to indian slavery and do trial for indian drug companies?????