Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine was approved in the United States, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday.
Trump said the vaccine was “overwhelmingly approved” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that distribution would start immediately.
Moderna vaccine overwhelmingly approved. Distribution to start immediately.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2020
This follows FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn’s announcement of a “positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.”
While, as of yet, only Pfizer - BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine is listed as being authorised for emergency use on the FDA’s website, Hahn said the organisation “will rapidly work toward finalisation and issuance of an emergency use authorisation.”
In the EU, no vaccine has been approved yet, though the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will meet on 21 Decemeber to decide on the authorisation of the Pfizer vaccine in the European Union.
If EMA authorises the Pfizer vaccine, Europeans could get their first Covid-19 vaccinations before the new year, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
