In laboratories around the region, Asia's best minds have come together in a race to find a vaccine to halt the spread of Covid-19. The common goal has birthed partnerships among some of the world's largest pharmaceutical players, as well as cooperation between nations.
correspondents find out how three Asean countries and India are faring in this crucial effort to end the pandemic.SINGAPORE is building up vaccine manufacturing capacity so production can be ramped up quickly and safely once a Covid-19 vaccine is found.
Firms producing drugs and vaccines sometimes outsource part of the process to other companies, known as contract development and manufacturing organisations. "The demand for healthcare products has not been affected and is generally quite resilient," said Ms Goh Wan Yee, senior vice-president of healthcare at the Economic Development Board .
The EDB remains optimistic about the growth potential of the biomedical sciences industry, said Ms Goh, pointing to how companies that have products addressing Covid-19 needs have seen a strong increase in global demand.Thailand-based firm Bionet-Asia is racing with other companies and institutes across the world to produce a vaccine for the Covid-19 virus. It has diverted all its resources, including 200 people, to accelerate development of a gene-based vaccine.
Within the region, Thailand's pharmaceuticals market was smaller only than Indonesia's from 2013 to 2018. The Bank of Ayudhya report warned that Thai producers will face rising prices for pharmaceutical inputs as exporters grapple with the coronavirus.INDONESIA's major pharmaceutical companies and their foreign partners have joined the race to produce vaccines against the coronavirus that has killed nearly 1,800 people and infected more than 29,000 in the world's fourth-most populous nation.
Bio Farma, which exports vaccines to 147 countries including Singapore, can produce up to two billion doses of vaccines every year. Indian pharmaceutical companies, for instance, quickly ramped up production of hydroxychloroquine in April and are now helping to meet a surging demand for an anti-viral drug believed to aid in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
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