PFIZER’S Covid-19 vaccine, which uses new “mRNA” technology that has never been used on humans before, has been developed too quickly and Putrajaya has a lot to answer before allowing its use here, said Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The Gua Musang MP said the development of Covid-19 vaccines has been fast tracked under pressure from the US, and questioned if Malaysia is rushing into a deal to purchase 12.8 million doses that would only cover 6.4 million people or 20% of the population.

“The three phases of human clinical trials for both Pfizer and Moderna took only several months of what should have been several years in order to ensure that there are no harmful side effects some years from now. During the trials, there were side effects, such as muscle pain, chills and headache.

“There are reports that suggest that the Pfizer vaccine may not stop the transmission of the virus and only suppress the symptoms and the protection provided by the vaccine may not be long (durability). 

“Therefore, what is the purpose of this vaccine if it cannot stop the spread of Covid-19 and the MCOs (movement-control orders) would still need to be enforced, which would continue to drag down the economy?,” the Umno veteran said in a statement.

The mRNA technology has never been used on humans before and there are no guarantees about its potential middle- and long-term side effects, nor is there information on its other ingredients, he said.

Pfizer did not conduct any clinical trial here, he said, questioning the “rush” to seal the deal and commit “practically all our financial allocations for vaccines”.

He pointed to the UK’s announcement of immunity for Pfizer from legal action by consumers. The UK is rolling out Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine this week under temporary authorisation for emergency use.

“Has our own government already signed or intends to sign away such an unjust and irresponsible clause?

“I am not saying that Pfizer would not be doing its best on safety. But, how can they or anyone guarantee safety using such a new technology and on such a rush job?

“While I have full confidence on our healthcare front-liners, does our country have the expertise on vaccine research and development to analyse the data properly from the short periods of clinical trials?”

True price

On November 27, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the vaccine deal with Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, making Malaysia the first Southeast Asian country to purchase the vaccine from the American pharmaceutical giant.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin later said the costs involved are covered by a non-disclosure agreement Malaysia has with Pfizer.

But Khairy added that the government has allocated RM3 billion for the vaccine and that the cost worked out to less than RM100 per dose. Each vaccination requires two doses.

Putrajaya must also reveal the full cost of purchasing the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer, including the cost of storage and logistics.

“The government has so far, not divulged the price that it is committed to Pfizer for this vaccine and the costings required for the special storage and logistics, so naturally, there would be lots of speculation. Would there be additional costs involved in filling and finishing the vaccine locally?”

Although the vaccine is said to cost more than RM2 billion at 12.8 million doses, there is not much information on the cost required for special storage and distribution facilities, as the vaccine must be kept at -80° Celsius. 

This could cost reportedly another RM1 billion.

At RM3 billion, the cost would have used up the entire allocation set aside for the vaccine and would only cover 20% of the population.

“Perhaps the minister in charge of vaccine procurement should explain the price and estimated costings involved in the Pfizer deal,” Tengku Razaleigh said. – December 7, 2020.