US decides to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on emergency basis, says FT report

US decides to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on emergency basis, says FT report

A syringe and a bottle reading 'Vaccine COVID-19' next to the Moderna company logo. File

Gulf Today Report

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided on Thursday night to approve Moderna Inc's coronavirus vaccine on an emergency basis, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing people close to the process.

The report comes after the FDA said it informed Moderna that it would rapidly work towards the finalisation and issuance of emergency use authorisation (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, according to commissioner Stephen Hahn.

Medics transport a woman, 77, with COVID-19 symptoms to a hospital in Yonkers, New York. AFP

On Thursday, a panel of outside advisers to the FDA overwhelmingly endorsed the emergency use of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, virtually assuring a second option for protecting against COVID-19 for a pandemic ravaged nation.

The committee voted 20-0 with one abstention that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed its risks in people aged 18 and older.

A man stands outside an entrance to a Moderna, Inc., building in Cambridge. AP

Epidemiologist Arnold Monto, who chaired the live-streamed discussion, said nothing should be read into the fact that the vote was even more overwhelming than last week's in favor of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

"Academics have a way of getting involved