Talks between Sri Lanka and Pfizer successful

27 March 2021 07:27 am Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 7 Bookmark

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Sri Lanka says talks to purchase coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech have been successful and a final agreement is expected to be reached soon.

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Professor Channa Jayasumana said that the US based company has offered to supply vaccines in special storage equipment during transportation.

The Pfizer vaccine requires storage facilities with minus 70 degrees refrigeration, a facility which the Sri Lanka Government does not have.

However, Professor Channa Jayasumana said that the matter had been discussed with the manufacturer and the manufacturer has now offered a solution.

He said that the company is ready to provide facilities to transport the vaccines to storage facilities while maintaining the minus 70 degrees refrigeration.

Professor Channa Jayasumana also said that it has been found that vaccines manufactured by the company can be stored in normal refrigeration for approximately a week.

As a result, he said that steps will be taken to import the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech to Sri Lanka soon.

Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech announced a breakthrough yesterday (Friday) saying that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved storage of the Pfizer manufactured COMIRNATY® vaccine at -25°C to -15°C for a total of two weeks based on data showing the stability at these temperatures in standard pharmaceutical freezers.

COMIRNATY® is manufactured by Pfizer Europe and efficacy shown in clinical trials in participants with or without evidence of prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 and who received the full series of vaccine (2 doses) was approximately 95% based on a median follow-up of two months.

Pfizer said the new data is a testament to the companies’ ongoing commitment to developing this vaccine further and collecting data in order to support broader and more flexible vaccine distribution and inoculation. (By Easwaran Rutnam)

Comments - 7

Jude Saturday, 27 March 2021 09:22 AM

So who's getting the "Kuttiya" !???

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De Mel Saturday, 27 March 2021 09:45 AM

Bloody India, we should never have gone for their vaccine. Now , they can’t supply to us.

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FF Saturday, 27 March 2021 10:09 AM

HOW CAN WE TRUST GOVT VACCINATION PROGRAM AS IT HAS SO FAR MESSED UP. SOME DISTRICTS YET TO GET THE FIRST DOSE. THIS GOVT HAS FAILED MISERABLY

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dickie bird Saturday, 27 March 2021 12:47 PM

its not a question of TRUST GOVT VACCINATION PROGRAM.... Countries in the entire World are clamouring for the Vaccine. First world countries are blocking stocks. China

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Ranaweera Saturday, 27 March 2021 12:49 PM

FF , some countries have not given a single dose so far. If your yahapalana government was in power , you could have received the natural vaccine as 100% of the population would have by now got covid. May be 30% would have died, 20% would have had long term complications, so we would have been left with 50% . Not sure which group you would have fallen into. If Rajapaksha was never in power, we would still be in war or LTTE would have captured 50% of the land mass only for Tamils to live, none of the highways would have been built. We would still be in debt due to continous expenditure on arms which is income for your loving western masters. Tamil children would not know anything but killing, Tamil diaspora would be richer by collecting money for the cause. So looking back I am grateful for Rajapakshas for ending the war development of the country and protection of our heritage.

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Jeeves Saturday, 27 March 2021 01:09 PM

Has this " breaking news" been verified and tested out by European countries, other than the ones manufacturing the Pfizer vaccine? We must check their new storage claims with WHO first. Unlike Astra Zeneca, this vaccine has cost, and therefore is a business, so be cautious

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Point of Order Saturday, 27 March 2021 11:34 PM

Ranaweera: What has the topic under discussion got to do with extraneous matters you are rambling on?

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