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SINGAPORE – The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has begun evaluating the available data submitted by the developer of the Modern Covid-19 vaccine “to ensure a speedy review,” the authority said on Wednesday (December 2).
HSA said in response to inquiries from The Straits Times that it has been in discussions with the American biotech company about its vaccine presentation plan.
“Moderna has begun submitting initial data and will continue to enter data as soon as it becomes available as agreed with HSA,” the HSA spokesperson said.
This continuous submission process allows companies to submit data to authorities while trials are in progress, rather than submitting data only at the end of each trial phase.
HSA had previously explained that such ongoing submissions allow regulators to conduct a simultaneous, real-time review of the data available to date, rather than waiting for all the data to be collected before submission.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told The Straits Times late Tuesday that the company is in talks with HSA to approve the use of the firm’s vaccine here.
If all goes well, the first batch of vaccines could arrive here as early as this month, he said.
Mr. Bancel also noted that the Singapore government has been proactive in ordering doses for people here, although it declined to provide figures.
“The Singapore government, in the early summer, has been ordering doses for its inhabitants, and has been ordering more recently with more data,” Bancel said in the video interview.
Last month, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said Singapore would work to secure a portfolio of Covid-19 vaccines to serve different segments of the population rather than relying on a single vaccine.
But the HSA spokesperson declined to say whether other companies had also approached the authority to approve the use of other Covid-19 vaccines here, citing proprietary reasons.
Moderna’s request to Singapore authorities for the use of its Covid-19 vaccine here comes as Britain granted temporary authorization for the emergency use of another Covid-19 candidate vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“Today’s emergency use authorization in the UK marks a historic moment in the fight against Covid-19,” Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a statement Wednesday.
“This authorization is a goal we have been working towards since we first declared that science will triumph, and we applaud the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for its ability to conduct a careful evaluation and take timely action to help protect to the people of the UK. “
Moderna had requested on Monday authorization for the emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine in the United States, following the publication of the full results of its late-stage clinical trial.
The results of the trial, in which 30,000 people participated, had shown that the vaccine was 94.1% effective in preventing Covid-19 and 100% effective in preventing serious coronavirus diseases.
Launching in the US lists Moderna’s product as the second vaccine likely to receive US emergency use authorization this year.
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