The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has revealed that it will begin a third phase of clinical trial for the Sanofi and the Sputnik Light vaccines in some parts of the country.
According to the Service, the trial which will begin next month will take place in Dodowa, Kintampo and Navrongo respectively. This comes after the initial two trials took place in these same areas.
Speaking on the trial, the Director of Public Health for the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe,;explained that the research division of the GHS will monitor efficacy of the vaccines by comparing those who will take the vaccine to those who will not.
“Phase one and Phase two of the trials have already been cleared and;it has now gotten to the phase three-level. The trial of Sputnik Light will take about three months to complete;while that of Sanofi will take about a year to complete.”
Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe
Dr. Aseidu-Bekoe disclosed that, those who will partake in the trials will have to sign a consent form before taking part. He also cautioned that,;persons who have already taken any of the COVID-19 vaccines do not qualify for the trial and indicated that;the same rule applies to pregnant women and persons under 18 years of age.
The trial comes on the back of Ghana being selected as one of;the countries for the third phase of the clinical trial of the two COVID-19 vaccines from France and Russia.
The Sputnik Light vaccine is said to also to have been developed by the Russian Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology while the Sanofi is by Sanofi S.A., which is a French multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France.
Minority to probe vaccine procurement
Meanwhile, on the issue of vaccine procurement,;the Minority in Parliament has filed a motion for a bipartisan probe into the procurement of Sputnik V vaccines from Russia through middlemen.
Addressing the media, Minority leader in Parliament,;Haruna Iddrisu stated that a deputy ambassador portfolio does not exist at;the Russian embassy as claimed by the Health Minister.
The Tamale South MP argued the contracts are in breach of Article 181 (5) of the constitution;which requires such international transactions to secure parliamentary approval and thus must be halted immediately.
Ghana through the Health Minister;Kwaku Agyemang Manu signed two contracts for the supply of Sputnik V vaccines at $19 and $18.5 through middlemen. Also
The move government explains is as a result of difficulties in securing vaccines;through government-to-government arrangements which could have driven down the price.
The Health Minister at a press engagement last week disclosed that a deputy ambassador at;the Russian embassy was engaged by the government to facilitate the procurement of the vaccines but to no avail.
According to him, they were left with no choice than to procure the through middlemen after all attempts to also get the vaccines through a bilateral agreement between Ghana and Russia also failed.
