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The World Health Organization listed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use late Friday — a step that will allow countries to speed up their own regulatory approval.
The Geneva-based body said the emergency-use listing is also a prerequisite for the vaccine to be part of the COVAX facility which aims to share vaccines fairly around the world.
Moderna’s becomes the fifth vaccine to be approved for emergency use by the WHO — following those of Pfizer/BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and two versions of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. It has already received a green light from EU and U.S. regulators.
The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) reviewed the vaccine in January and recommended its use in adults 18 and above. The group found it had an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent.
Moderna’s vaccine may not always need ultra-cold chain storage, since vials can be stored refrigerated at 2–8 degrees Celsius for up to 30 days prior to withdrawal of first doses, the WHO said.
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