COVID-19 Update: NAFDAC approves J&J vaccine for Nigeria

19 May COVID-19 Update: NAFDAC approves J&J vaccine for Nigeria

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), yesterday, granted conditional Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine to check spread in people from 18 years.

The Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, in a media statement, said after a thorough evaluation, the NAFDAC Vaccine Committee concluded that data on the jab were robust and met criteria for efficacy, safety and quality.

Adeyeye said the information also showed that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh known and potential risks, thereby supporting the manufacturer’s recommended use. The vaccine is the third therapy recommended in Nigeria for preventing the virus.

* Tuesday Caseload: Nigeria reported 29 new cases, 40 less than Tuesday and zero deaths in 2 states – Lagos-18 and Rivers-11

There are now 165,807 confirmed cases, 156,420 recoveries and 2,067 deaths

* India is unlikely to resume major exports of COVID-19 vaccines until at least October as it diverts shots for domestic use, three government sources said, a longer-than-expected delay set to worsen supply shortages from the global COVAX initiative.

The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker producing the AstraZeneca vaccine, responded by saying that it hoped to restart deliveries to COVAX and other countries by the end of this year.

“We would like to reiterate that we have never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India and remain committed to do everything we can in the support of the vaccination drive in the country,” SII said in a statement.