The United States granted emergency authorization for Moderna’s vaccine against Covid-19 on Friday, December 18, the United States Medicines Agency (Food and Drug Administration, FDA) announced.
The remedy from the young biotechnology firm will therefore join that of the Pfizer / BioNTech alliance in the huge vaccination campaign that began Monday in the United States.
“Congratulations, Moderna’s vaccine is now available! “exclaimed President Donald Trump.
As for the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech, authorized seven days ago, the green light from the FDA came the day after the favorable opinion of a committee of American experts. If the Pfizer / BioNTech remedy had already set a record, Moderna does even better: their vaccine was approved ten days after the official request was filed, against twenty-two for Pfizer.
“With two vaccines now available for the prevention against Covid-19, the FDA has taken a new crucial step in the fight against this pandemic”, greeted his boss, the Dr Stephen Hahn.
200 million pre-purchased doses
The distribution of doses, thought for months, should begin quickly. The goal was “To have the trucks literally waiting right next to the plant to be able to load them and leave as soon as the FDA has OK”, had entrusted to Agence France-Presse Stéphane Bancel, the boss of Moderna.
The vaccine, of which the U.S. government has pre-purchased 200 million doses (compared to Pfizer’s 100 million), is 94.1% effective, according to a data synthesis from Moderna by the FDA, which means it reduces d ‘as much the chances of contracting the Covid-19.
The Massachusetts-based firm has promised to distribute 20 million doses by the end of December 2020, then an additional 80 million in the first quarter of 2021, and the other 100 million in the second quarter (i.e. by the end of June). Since it is taken in two doses spaced four weeks apart, this corresponds to 100 million people vaccinated.
Priority is for the moment given to the most exposed caregivers and residents of retirement homes, as recommended by the US health authorities.
The United States is the country most affected by the pandemic, with more than 313,000 dead and more than 17.4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19.
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