Japan health panel approves Moderna, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines (updated)

JCR Pharmaceuticals

20/05/2021 12:37

(Updates throughout with news of formal approval of vaccines,
adds background)
    TOKYO, May 20 (Reuters) - Japanese regulators recommended
the approval of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna Inc
 MRNA.O  and AstraZeneca PLC's  AZN.L  on Thursday, paving the
way for the country to speed up its slow-moving vaccination
campaign.
    The recommendations by a health ministry panel precede
official approval by the government on Friday, national
broadcaster NHK reported. 
    Supplies of the Moderna doses have already been imported and
are planned for use at mass vaccination centres in Tokyo and
Osaka from next week.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2MN05Z
    Takeda Pharmaceutical Co  4502.T , Japan's biggest
drugmaker, is handling imports of about 50 million doses of the
Moderna shot, or enough for 25 million people. That amount could
be doubled, Takeda said this month.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2MY0GM
    Japan kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign in the
middle of February using Pfizer Inc's  PFE.N  vaccine, the first
to be approved by domestically. 
    But amid scarce initial supplies and other logistical
bottlenecks, the campaign has moved slowly. 
    Japan has inoculated 3.9% of its population of about 125
million so far, the slowest rate among the world's larger,
wealthy countries.
    The government has arranged to buy 120 million doses of
AstraZeneca's vaccine, enough for 60 million people. Most of the
doses will be made in Japan by Daiichi Sankyo Co  4568.T , JCR
Pharmaceuticals Co  4552.T  and other local partners.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2F92XN
    Officials are considering limiting the recommended age group
for AstraZeneca's vaccine due to worries about blood clots, NHK
said.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nT9N2MU02B

 (Reporting by Rocky Swift and Ritsuko Ando; Editing by
Jacqueline Wong and Hugh Lawson)
 ((Ritsuko.Ando@reuters.com; +81 3 6441 1743;))