HEALTH

Covid-19: Saidal to become regional producer of CoronaVac

ALGIERS-The public pharmaceutical group Saidal, which is to about to start the production of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine of the Chinese firm Sinovac, under the trade name "CoronaVac," will become a regional producer of this vaccine, said an official at the Ministry of Pharmaceutical Industry.

"The Chinese Group Sinovac being pleasantly surprised by the mastery of the manufacturing process by Saidal and its production capacity, it agreed that Algeria becomes a regional producer of its vaccine," Director of production, export promotion and research at the Ministry, Dr. Nadia Bouabdallah told APS.

According to this official, also coordinator of the Inter-sectoral Monitoring Committee on the production project of the vaccine against Covid-19 in Algeria, this partnership brings several benefits, including the transfer of technology, foreign exchange savings, the assurance of the availability of the vaccine, the ability to cover domestic needs and export prospects.

This partnership will "restore the image of Saidal and allow the group to gain partners' confidence," she continued.

"Saidal has managed to successfully master the production process while other partners of Sinovac have failed for technical reasons," she said.

Thanks to the implementation of this project in "record time", Algeria will take its first step in a "new era" of the vaccine manufacturing industry.