Kazakhstan inks COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer, says Health Ministry
Dec 28, 2020
Almaty [Kazakhstan], December 28 (ANI/Sputnik): Kazakhstan on Monday signed a deal with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer to begin receiving its vaccine against the coronavirus disease, the health ministry said.
"Today, we signed a non-disclosure agreement with company Pfizer and are ready to receive shipments of the vaccine in Kazakhstan by issuing special papers," First Vice Minister Marat Shoranov said at a briefing.
According to the official, the timing will depend on manufacturing capacity and the company's shipping capabilities.
"We have come up with the rules that allow registering a vaccine based on interim reports of the Phase 3 trials. Regarding the Pfizer vaccine, apart from high demands for transportation and storage demands -- down to minus 70 degrees [Celsius, minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit] -- it has a different price, it costs up to twice as much that the vaccine manufactured in the Russian Federation," Shoranov added.
In November, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that its vaccine had been tested to be 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, according to a preliminary analysis from a Phase 3 clinical study.
Kazakhstan already began producing the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine earlier in the month and is planning to register it by February 12. (ANI/Sputnik)
