KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd said today that Malaysia’s Pharmaniaga Bhd was solely responsible for the distribution of all its Covid-19 vaccines in the country and no other "third parties”.

Sinovac chief business officer Helen Yang described the Chinese firm’s partnership with Pharmaniaga as government-level dealings.

Yang also said in a video statement that Pharmaniaga handled all the local distribution of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines, both in completed forms and fill-and-finish products.

"We are dealing directly with Pharmaniaga via government-to-government arrangement, without the involvement of any third-parties,” she said.

Yang went on to stress that any imports of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine from China must still go through Pharmaniaga for local distribution as it was the holder of the product registration here in Malaysia.

While the Sinovac official did not address the matter, the statement appeared aimed at a recent controversy in which a Sabah-based businessman purported that he wanted to donate two million doses of the Chinese vaccine to Penang.

National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin previously alleged the offer to be a scam after saying checks with both Yang at Sinovac and Pharmaniaga here found no evidence of any inquiry or order related to the businessman’s offer.

When Malay Mail contacted the businessman before, he alleged that an aide to the minister directed him to procure the vaccines through a "company in KL”.

He claimed he would not as he supposedly could obtain the vaccines "directly”.

The businessman’s donation offer is now the subject of a police investigation.