CHINESE pharmaceutical company Sinopharm International Corp. has invited Pakistan's National Institute of Health (NIH) to collaborate in conducting clinical trials for the newly-developed COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
Sinopharm general manager Li Can has sent a letter in this regard to NIH executive director Maj Gen Dr Aamer Ikram.
"A successful clinical trial in Pakistan will make it one of [the] first few countries for the launch of a COVID-19 vaccine," the letter said.
Dr Ikram later said that Pakistan will start clinical trials when NIH gets the clearance.
According to Dr Ikram, the benefit from the clinical trials being held in Pakistan will be that if the vaccine proves to be successful, the country will be able to procure it on a high-priority basis.
NIH is an autonomous organisation that functions under the ministry of national health services.
The government-owned Sinopharm produces more than 80 per cent of the mandatory immunisation needs of China and played a leading role in fighting the Covid-19 crisis in the country.
It is one of the first organisations to have led the development of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
The COVID-19 cases in Pakistan nears 11,000 on Thursday with 230 deaths. Punjab and Sindh provinces are the worst affected regions by the virus.
Recently, prime minister Imran Khan tested negative for the infection.
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