SIH concludes first-ever vaccine trials in Pakistan

Islamabad : Shifa International Hospital (SIH) successfully concludes the first-ever SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Trial (Phase III), commonly known as Casino-Bio Trial in Pakistan to defeat Covid-19. It lasted more than 2 years and recruited more than 17 thousand volunteers for this trial from five major institutions in Pakistan. Globally more than 44 thousand volunteers were recruited. At Shifa International Hospital More than 5480 volunteers participated and contributed to a major portion of data for this trial.

Professor Dr. Ejaz Khan, who was the Principal Investigator of this trial at Shifa International Hospital briefed the audience at the closing ceremony about the journey, benefits and outcomes of the trial. He termed the trial one of its kind with a single-dose vaccine against COVID-19 and a success because only after 5 months the vaccine was approved by DRAP and made available for the Public in Pakistan which helped in saving thousands of lives. He said Pakistan soon started its production at the National Institute of Health by name of PakVAc and was available for distribution as well. It also opened new avenues for medical and academic research in Pakistan.

Dr. Ejaz Khan thanked all the stakeholders including brave volunteers of the trial, the National Institute of Health, research staff, Cansino sponsor, AJM pharma, other institutions, and Shifa International Hospital’s administration who always encouraged and supported the research team during the trial in every possible way.