The panel of independent experts that last week recommended the U.S. government to approve the cfid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech will see a similar order from Modern Pharmaceuticals on Thursday.
Since an analysis by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined this week that the antidote of Moderna has shown an efficiency of 94%, the agency is widely expected to authorize its emergency use if the group of advisers approves it.
In the case of the Pfizer vaccine, the FDA approved a day after the panel of experts recommended its administration to people 16 years of age or older.
It would be the second vaccine to receive the green light in the United States amid the resurgence of the pandemic across the country and a balance of deaths that is already rising above 300,000, with bleak forecasts for the coming winter months.
Moderna’s vaccine “backed a favorable safety profile, with no specific safety concerns identified that could impose authorization for emergency use,” the FDA said in its analysis.
FDA authorization means that the vaccine can be administered as long as the agency continues to evaluate the data and grants its final approval. The director of the FDA’s Center for Biological Research and Assessment, Peter Marks, emphasized last week that this is a preliminary approval, granted when the information provided by companies meets FDA expectations and guidelines.
20 million doses by the end of the month
Tener a second vaccine will accelerate the massive vaccination operation in the country, as the government has purchased a total of 200 million doses from Moderna, which will be delivered progressively. This after last week exercised an option in its agreement with the pharmaceutical company to acquire another 100 million doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine.
The announcement comes after questions over a decision by the Donald Trump administration to reject a Pfizer offer to buy more doses of its vaccine last year. This raised doubts as to whether the United States will be able to secure the amount of doses needed to immunize its population.
“Of the first 100 million doses comprised by the US government, approximately 20 million doses will be delivered by the end of December 2020 and the remainder will be delivered in the first quarter of 2021,” Moderna said in a statement last year past.
The additional 100 million will come in the second quarter of 2021, the company added.