The Chinese government Friday ordered 7.3 million doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccine from domestic pharmaceutical companies Sinovac and Hualan, the first firms to receive production licenses.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) ordered 3.3 million 15-microgram doses of vaccine from Sinovac and 4 million from Hualan Biological Engineering Inc. They are required to fill the orders within ten days, the two companies said Friday.

The vaccines will be reserved by the State instead of going on general sale across the country.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) issued the first license in the world for Sinovac vaccine Panflu 1 on Thursday, and issued the license for Hualan's vaccine on Friday. Both have passed SFDA experts' evaluation.

Panflu 1 can be given safely to people aged from three to 60 years old in a single shot, while Hualan's vaccine is suitable for all aged over three, according to evaluation reports.

Sinovac said it had the capacity to produce 5 million doses of vaccine before October 1, and 20 to 30 million doses a year. Hualan said it could produce 13 million doses before October 1.

MIIT ordered the vaccine following Ministry of Health recommendation, and the cost will be paid by the Ministry of Finance.

Health Minister Chen Zhu said in August that China would be able to produce enough A/H1N1 flu vaccine for 65 million people by the end of the year.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2009)