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The Health Department welcomed the publication of an emergency use list by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Covid-19 vaccine from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc, and said it would speed up approval of the vaccine. in the country.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said WHO approval would shorten the process that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must undertake.
“The [approval by the] The WHO is a welcome addition to regulatory approvals and therefore it should be much easier for our own FDA to review all the documents and assess the risk-benefit ratio of such a candidate vaccine, ”said Duque.
FDA Director General Rolando Enrique Domingo said the agency could issue an emergency use authorization for the vaccine “as soon as possible.”
“The WHO emergency use list is very significant. Our experts are currently evaluating the documents submitted by Pfizer. I will issue a decision on the application as soon as all regulatory requirements and procedures are completed, ”said Domingo.
Duque said the Pfizer vaccine could launch in March.
The WHO said the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was the first to receive its “emergency validation” since the novel coronavirus broke out in China a year ago.
“This is a very positive step to guarantee global access to Covid-19 vaccines,” said Mariangela Simao, one of the main WHO officials in charge of guaranteeing access to medicines.
The WHO said its emergency use list opens the way for regulators in different countries to approve the importation and distribution of the vaccine.
It will also allow the United Nations Children’s Fund, which plays a key logistical role in the distribution of anti-Covid vaccines, and the Pan American Health Organization to purchase the vaccine for countries that need it.
With AFP reports
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