US FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization for Moderna Vaccine... Second After Pfizer (Summary)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eunbyeol] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the 18th (local time) approved the emergency use of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna.

On the same day, local media such as CNN and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the FDA approved the use of the second vaccine available for general public inoculation following the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The United States is the first country where the Moderna vaccine has received health authority approval.

With the acquisition of the second vaccine available for general public inoculation, the strategy to overcome COVID-19 through vaccination is expected to gain momentum. Once FDA approval is granted, distribution of the Moderna vaccine can begin.

According to the Associated Press, Moderna has enough doses to ship 5.9 million inoculations across the U.S. over the weekend. However, vaccination requires a recommendation for use from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), followed by acceptance and signature from the CDC director. This procedure is also likely to be completed over the weekend.

Moncef Slaoui, chief of the U.S. government's vaccine development team "Operation Warp Speed," stated that including the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, they plan to distribute 40 million doses nationwide by the end of the year. The Moderna vaccine showed 94.1% efficacy in clinical trials involving 30,000 participants, with 95.6% efficacy for ages 18 to 65 and 86.4% efficacy for those over 65.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.