Locally Made.. UAE begins production of Coronavirus vaccine

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced the launch of a vaccine for the Coronavirus within the country as part of the ongoing global battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vaccine, titled “life-Fax”, will be the first locally-made vaccine in the region. The vaccine will be manufactured by CNG 42, a newly established joint venture between Sinopharm CNBJ and the UAE-based technology company G42.

Sinopharm CNG 42 is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, which has provided more than 100 million doses of the Coronavirus vaccine worldwide.

Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyane, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also announced the launch during a ceremony held Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

The ceremony announced the launch of a research and development center specializing in life sciences, biotechnology and vaccine production, the first of their kind in the Arab world, to be built in the industrial city of Khalifa; Integrated commercial, logistical and industrial center in Abu Dhabi.

Over the past year, G42 Healthcare and Sinofram CNBJ have collaborated on the first phase of the third non-active MERS clinical trial across the Arab region with the participation of more than 43,000 volunteers from more than 125 nationalities.

This year, the new factory will enter their operational phase in the industrial city of Khalifa, where production capacity will reach 200 million doses a year through three filling lines and five auto wrapping lines.

The Life-Fax vaccine is currently being produced at the UAE’s Gulfair pharmaceutical plant, with an initial capacity of two million doses per month.

Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE and their wise leadership believe it is important to strengthen collective international action to combat this pandemic and move forward towards controlling its consequences and recovering from its consequences.

The joint project, “Life Sciences and Vaccine Manufacture in the United Arab Emirates”, is a qualitative addition to global efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the world, he said.

“When the Coronavirus started to spread widely last year, the UAE through the leading technology company G42, an Emirati company, explored the possibility of hosting clinical trials for the Coronavirus in the UAE,” said Liu Jingzhen, chairman of the Sinopharm Group. “Sinopharm has taken on the task of fighting the epidemic, and it has worked closely with the UAE to achieve this.”

“So far, the Sinopharm vaccine has been introduced to millions of people in the country, the region and the world as a key step to eradicating this virus, and we are proud of our partnership with G42 in this new joint venture, which will play a pivotal role in fighting the Coronavirus worldwide, and make an ideal contribution to the health of our communities,” he said.

For his part, Ping Xiao, CEO of G-42, commented on the UAE’s launch of the “Hayat-Falkes” vaccine and the joint project plans. “The launch of MERS vaccine manufacturing operations in the UAE is an important step in our battle against the COVID-19 virus, and we are grateful for the shared vision and genuine partnership that brought together the leaders of the UAE and the People.”

 “This initiative in the UAE is a real strategic progress and proof of the correct path that our countries are leading towards the future,” he said.

The Life-Fax vaccine is the same inactive BIBP vaccine produced by the Beijing Biological Products Institute and officially registered by the Ministry of Health and Community Protection of the United Arab Emirates on December 9, 2020, and approved by the United Arab Emirates. “China Drug Evaluation Center” on 30 December 2020, based on preliminary and updated findings provided by a company In China, Sinofarm showed vaccine effectiveness at 79.34%.

The National Vaccination Program announced 12 days ago that it would vaccinate more than 52% of the country’s population. The Hayat-Fax vaccine, the UAE’s first vaccine, will strengthen the country’s vaccination program through 205 medical centers nationwide.