[ad_1]
(CNN) – Officials at the World Health Organization have warned countries rushing to develop coronavirus vaccines, saying that authorization of emergency use must be done very carefully.
China and Russia say they will begin rolling out vaccines before completing late-stage clinical trials, and US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn has said that if the US gets enough data from advanced trials, it may be possible to license a vaccine before trials are completed.
When asked what the three countries are planning, WHO officials said it is important to make sure a vaccine is at least safe and works before using one widely.
“The authorization or license for emergency use is something that must be done with great seriousness and thought. It is not something that is done lightly, ”said WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan during a press conference.
While it is up to each country’s national regulatory authority to make decisions about approvals, the WHO has a guidance document on its website that sets out step-by-step what the approach would be for its emergency use listing procedure, he said.
The vaccine policy of any country “should be guided by the highest possible ethical standard, the highest possible scientific standards,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program.
There are examples of vaccines that were implemented before data collection was completed, Ryan added. Ebola is one. But the data was carefully collected even as groups rushed to vaccinate people during recent Ebola outbreaks.
“You need to keep track,” Ryan said.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Authorizing the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine should not be done lightly, says a WHO scientist.”
[ad_2]
