Pakistan starts clinical trials for virus vaccine, claims Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry today (Friday) has announced that Pakistan has started the first phase of clinical trials for a novel coronavirus vaccine.

Talking to a private news channel, Fawad Chaudhry has said that this was Pakistan’s major step towards international efforts for controlling COVID-19 disease mortality.

In this regard, the federal minister said that a team led by Dr Attaur Rahman was also closely working with the World Health Organization for the development of an anti-coronavirus vaccine.

He further announced that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has granted permission for conducting clinical trials for COVID-19 patients and trials of locally produced ventilators would also be started soon in Pakistan.

Fawad Chaudhry said that Pakistani researchers can develop a vaccine for coronavirus but the process will take little time. He also admires Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman for leading clinical trials for the vaccine.

He further revealed that Pakistan was fully contributing to the 66 global studies being conducted on coronavirus adopting three different approaches including re-purposed drugs, antibodies, and vaccines.

The federal minister expressed hope that Pakistan would be among the list of those countries that defeating coronavirus.

Commenting on testing kits, he said that the DRAP had also prepared strict rules and regulations for quality testing kits in the country.

“The quality of testing kits will not be compromised anymore under DRAP authority. It would be strictly checked,” he added.

He also reiterated that Pakistan was in dire need of safety kits, masks and ventilators amid COVID-19 outbreak.

The federal minister also urged the people of Pakistan to follow the precautionary measures and practice social distancing, because caution was the only way to defeat the disease.