The World Health Orgaization (WHO) is to review Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for an emergency use listing (EUL) this week, according to Reuters.
A WHO spokesman informed Reuters that its technical advisory group would review the vaccine on 30 April, with a decision on an EUL expected between one to four days following the discussion.
Moderna’s vaccine has currently received a number of authorisations across the globe, including emergency authorisations from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
So far, the AstraZeneca (AZ)/Oxford University, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are the only ones that have received an EUL from the WHO.
The WHO has also scheduled reviews of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine – to take place on 26 April – and Sinovac’s jab – to take place on 3 May – for possible EULs.
A WHO EUL is designed to enable potential vaccines to become available globally at a faster rate, by expediting access to products in many countries across the globe.
It is also a prerequisite to supply vaccines to the international vaccines-sharing facility COVAX.
COVAX is the vaccine pillar of the WHO’s ACT Accelerator – a collaborative initiative co-led by Gavi, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) that is working to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.
Last week, Moderna’s chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel said that the company is in discussions about possibly supplying its vaccine to COVAX, adding that he “hope[s] we are in the final stretch to get an agreement with COVAX”.
Bancel made the comments during a virtual event, where he also announced that Moderna is on track to manufacture up to one billion vaccine doses in 2021, which will increase to 1.4 billion next year.
He added: “Next year there are going to be way too many vaccines for people on the planet,” referring to a possible surplus of vaccine supplies in 2022.