"US Expected to Approve First COVID-19 Vaccine Around Mid-Month"

COVID-19 vaccine and syringe placed in front of the Moderna logo Photo by Jenicha Reuters - Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] There is a prospect that the United States will approve the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine around mid-December.

On the 4th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the White House Coronavirus Task Force, predicted that vaccine approval would be made in the third week of December.

Vice President Pence said at a meeting with staff at the Georgia Emergency Operations Center of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that "after about a week and a half, the COVID vaccine could be approved." He added, "The government wants to reiterate that there has been no compromise on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine," reaffirming the plan to prioritize vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of the year.

The U.S. COVID vaccine approval process proceeds with the FDA's expert advisory committee, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), first finalizing a recommendation, followed by the FDA granting approval for use. The advisory committee is scheduled to hold a meeting on the 10th to prepare a recommendation for the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine, and on the 17th to discuss the approval plan for the Moderna vaccine.

The FDA plans to approve the use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines within a week after the advisory committee meetings on the 10th and 17th, respectively. If this plan proceeds as scheduled, the Pfizer vaccine is expected to receive approval by the third week of December at the latest, and the Moderna vaccine by the fourth week of December, allowing vaccination to begin.