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Committee for local vaccine production

02 Jun 2021

  • Legal framework to be formulated

  • Plans for 13 m local doses by Aug-Sept

By Dinitha Rathnayake   The purpose of this committee would be to clear the path legally for vaccine production and manufacturing. A special meeting was held at the Ministry of Justice premises yesterday (1) with the participation of the Minister of Justice, President’s Counsel M.U.M. Ali Sabry and the State Minister of the Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana, along with officials who will be involved in the process. During the discussion, it was learned that vaccine manufacturing in the county would make a huge impact on the ongoing vaccination process where Sri Lanka has to buy Covid-19 vaccines from different countries. Even though vaccine production is highly specialised, subject to comparative advantages, and concentrated in a few countries, Sri Lanka is also aiming to be among those countries, it was said at the meeting. Sri Lanka is considering vaccine production due to a few reasons including the high demand and increasing prices, in order to complete the vaccine administration process soon, and to save the foreign exchange which goes to other countries and companies for the purchase of the vaccine. If the production process is successful in Sri Lanka, the country would be able to deliver six million doses in August and seven million doses in September, a Justice Ministry media release claimed. Views regarding the proposed legal framework were exchanged with the officials of the Attorney General’s Department, the Legal Draftsman’s Department, and the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation on manufacturing the vaccine in the country and on the necessary legal solutions required in order to make the necessary arrangements. Sri Lanka spends millions on buying various vaccines from various companies, while stocks of the second dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India not forthcoming in terms of its delivery to Sri Lanka has created a major issue at present.


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