Vaccine trial in Dhaka: Chinese envoy to be first volunteer

Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming. The Daily Star/Asia News Network

DHAKA — Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming will be the first volunteer to take part in the final or phase-3 human trial of a prospective Chinese Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh.

“Ambassador will be the first one once it [trial] is approved by due Bangladesh authorities,” Deputy Head of Mission, Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Yan Hualong told BSS yesterday.

“As I have no chance to win against him [ambassador], I’ll be happy to be the second one,” he said, adding that lots of engineers and technicians in local Chinese community here volunteer as the first batch of participants in the phase-3 trial.

On Sunday, Bangladesh’s regulatory Medical Research Council (BMRC) extended “ethical approval” for phase-3 human trial of the prospective vaccine by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, which appeared to be a forerunner in a global race for developing inoculates against coronavirus.

BMRC decided to approve the last stage trial of the Chinese vaccine as Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) submitted a research protocol seeking to carry out the study.

The BMRC official said the regulator kept in consideration “Bangladesh’s benefit” alongside prospect and safety issues of the vaccine, studying the advancement of the Sinova’s research in China, while reviewing the icddr,b proposal.

However, the BMRC approval would require a subsequent endorsement from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA).