“We will prove in the near future that the homegrown vaccine (for COVID-19) is better than many vaccines being produced (elsewhere) in the world,” Namaki said at an online press conference on Sunday.
He said Iranian scientists have done a “great and epic” job by developing the coronavirus vaccine inside the country.
According to the minister, the human trial of the first Iranian vaccine for the coronavirus will begin next week, while another domestically-made vaccine will be permitted to undergo trial soon after.
The people of Iran should know that the country has a history of production of vaccines for nearly a century, the minister said.
In comments on Friday, an adviser to Namaki denounced the promotion of the coronavirus vaccines produced by foreign companies Pfizer and Moderna as a method to fool people, saying he has no doubts about the effectiveness of a homegrown vaccine.
Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic is on par with other countries in combating the coronavirus pandemic, giving an assurance that his administration has made arrangements to obtain reliable vaccines from abroad and develop a homegrown vaccine for the disease as well.
Meanwhile, President of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Karim Hemmati has announced that the coronavirus vaccine that Iran has bought is made in China, assuring people that the Food and Drug Administration of Iran is strictly controlling all vaccines and medicine.