Saudi Arabia to ink deals with AstraZeneca, Pfizer to locally produce COVID-19 vaccine: sources

Vaccine production line

Saudi Arabia will sign today, Sept. 14, agreements with global pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and Pfizer, to locally produce COVID-19 vaccines, Al Sharq News reported, citing informed sources.

Several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) will be signed in the field of pharmaceuticals and medical technology between global companies and the Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs (MNG-HA), as part of Riyadh Global Summit on Medical Technology 2021.

Riyadh Global Summit on Medical Technology 2021 will start as of today, Sept. 14, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The summit is being organized virtually by King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) at the National Guard Ministry, according to Argaam.

Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) said, on June 4, that the Kingdom has four approved COVID-19 vaccines, namely AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.

In December 2020, SFDA approved the registration of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the Kingdom, Argaam reported.