NAFDAC approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has declared the approval of Pfizer-BionTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in Nigeria.

The declaration was made at the agency head office in Lagos on Friday by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye.

As indicated by her, the endorsement given was not a complete one, but it would be in effect within the period of getting citizens vaccinated and gathering data about the unfavourable effects after vaccination.

Adeyeye added that the agency depended on a more developed regulatory body for its approval, stating that that the agency was given the right to analyse its standpoint because the World Health Organisation (WHO) had given emergency use listing.

She said, “The purpose of the press briefing is to announce that NAFDAC has just approved Pfizer-BionTech vaccines for possible use in Nigeria.

“They were reviewed carefully by the NAFDAC staff COVID-19 vaccine committee to make sure that the science behind the development is well understood and in accord with our world regulatory activities.

“We used different mechanisms to approve the vaccine. We used reliance, meaning that a more mature regulatory agency across the globe, we can use that as a basis for our review.

“We will get the assessment report, know the peculiarity there, then our COVID-19 committee will get to do their job.”