Health Canada announce first full approval for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
pharmafile | September 17, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications | AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Health Canada, Moderna, Pfizer, mrna
Canada has become the first country in the world to grant full approval to the Moderna vaccine, alongside confirmation for Pfizer-BioNTech.
The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been formally granted full approval by Health Canada after the interim order for their vaccines expired. Both jabs are now approved fully for anyone aged 12 and above across Canada.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which remains under an interim order despite the interim order expiring on 16 September, is under review to be transitioned to the Food and Drug Regulations. This includes the original viral vector based vaccine, but does not currently include COVISHIELD, which is the Serum Institute of India’s version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Read: Moderna and Canada to collaborate on mRNA manufacturing
Read: Pfizer to expand COVID vaccine study in children under 12
The health authority in Canada has also revealed brand name changes to all three of the vaccines. Pfizer-BioNTech will now be referred to as Comirnaty, Moderna as Spikevax, and AstraZeneca as Vaxzevria.
Canada’s fully vaccinated rate, according to Our World in Data, sits at just under 70%, which means that 26.2 million people have received two jabs of the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is approved by Health Canada.
Janssen’s J&J jab also had its interim order expire on 16 September, but like the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, it is under review for transition to the Food and Drug Regulations in Canada.
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