Dhaka and New Delhi have agreed to conduct the phase-III trial of the Indian Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh.
Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday conveyed to his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen that they are ready to start the last phase clinical trial of the vaccine in Bangladesh soon after they launch it in India.
According to the joint statement after the 6th Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting held virtually, Jaishankar reiterated the commitment of India to prioritize the supply of COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh on a priority basis as its ‘Neighborhood First’ policy.
In this context, the Ministers directed their officials to expedite exchange of required information regarding “Phase-III testing, vaccine distribution, co-production and delivery in Bangladesh”.
“Going forward, collaboration to produce Covid-19 vaccines will be highly important. We look forward to cooperating with Bangladesh in vaccine development, trails as well as distribution and production as and when vaccines are ready for use,” Jaishankar said at the opening of the meeting.
“We are ready to start Phase-III clinical trials in Bangladesh soon after we launch these trials in India. Common trials will help strengthen cooperation among our regulators and simplify processes for future distribution and joint production of vaccines,” the Indian Minister.
