1st Iran-made corona vaccine ready within 40 days

In a meeting with Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Dato' Kamarudin Jaffar, Harirchi said on Tuesday that Iranian researchers have been successful in developing nine vaccines and four of them will be distributed within next months, adding that the Iranian people will be provided with the first domestically produced vaccine in next 40 days and that the second vaccine with the production capacity of eight to 10 million doses per month will be available within around 70 days. 

The third and forth vaccines will be distributed within 120 days, the Iranian official said, noting that Iran could cooperate with Malaysia in producing these corona vaccines.

Pointing to the impact of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he stipulated that 98.3 percent of medicine used in Iran are being produced inside the country.

The health official has expressed the Islamic Republic's readiness to expand relations and cooperation with the Muslim country of Malaysia in different political, cultural, economic, trade and health sectors.

He also underlined that officials from both sides have held phone calls to exchange experiences on the ways to confront the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as well as discuss issues of mutual interests.

Malaysian and Iranian health officials have so far emphasized that they are prepared to cooperate in producing vaccines, exporting medicines and supporting startups active in health sectors of both countries.

Head of Pasteur Institute of Iran Alireza Biglari said the Malaysian side has received a report on the institute's experience on producing vaccines and expressed readiness to expand cooperation with Iranian research and health organizations.

A proposed memorandum of understanding between the two sides has been finalized in the Tuesday meeting, which will be signed in a future session between health ministers of both countries.