UAE approves emergency use of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has approved the emergency use of the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine in the country.

The decision was made following the completion of clinical trials and a strict assessment conducted to approve the local emergency use of the vaccine, as well as the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), reported state news agency WAM.

It is the fifth vaccine approved for use within the UAE. The four other vaccines authorised for use in the country are Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Sinopharm.

Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary at MoHAP said that Moderna submitted all the documents that fulfill the country’s procedures and regulations, and conforms to global standards for safety of the vaccine and its use.

A review of studies on vaccine safety was made based on the FDA approval, said Al Amiri, adding that the clinical trials have shown that the vaccine is safe and effective, and triggers an immune response, in addition to producing Covid-19 antibodies.

Moderna had recently inked an agreement with UAE-based distributor Magenta Investments to distribute the Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine as well as Moderna’s updated variant booster candidates, once authorised, in the UAE in 2021 and 2022.

“As the world continues to endure the drastic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we feel privileged to be taking part in the global effort to enhance the protection of humanity by making available this highly advanced vaccine in the United Arab Emirates. Magenta is fully committed to supporting the efforts of the government of the United Arab Emirates in its monumental efforts to contain the pandemic,” said Dr Zahid Al Sabti, managing director of Magenta Investments.

Moderna has received emergency (or other conditional, interim or provisional) authorization for use of its COVID-19 vaccine in adults from health agencies in Canada, Israel, the European Union, the UK, Switzerland, Singapore, Qatar, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Paraguay, Japan, South Korea, Botswana and an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO).

“We welcome the opportunity to work alongside Magenta for the distribution of our vaccine in the UAE,” said Corinne Le Goff, chief commercial officer of Moderna. “Together with our partners, we hope to advance our goal to expand access to our vaccine globally, and support governments such as the UAE in protecting their citizens, residents and visitors against the pandemic.”

The UAE has administered over 15.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, at a vaccine distribution rate of 156.76 doses per 100 people. It is enough to cover 72.1 per cent of its population of 10 million based on a two-dose regimen. It has overtaken Seychelles to become the world’s most vaccinated nation, with Seychelles having administered jabs to cover 71.7 per cent of its population of just under 100,000.

As of July 3, the UAE has reported a total of 637,877 infections, including 1,831 fatalities and 616,197 recoveries.

Read: UAE passes Seychelles to become most vaccinated nation