NAFDAC approves use of Moderna, Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has approved the use of Moderna and Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria,

The American and Russian made vaccines were approved for emergency use, according to the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Moji Adeyeye.

She made the announcement on Thursday at a news conference in Abuja.

The approval is coming after the World Health Organization, expressed concerns over the Russian-made vaccine.

Professor Adeyeye explained that although the Sputnik vaccine, produced in Russia, has not yet been approved by the World Health Organisation, NAFDAC has carried out independent checks on the vaccine and found that the benefits outweigh the risks.

She said, “Sputnik V is yet to receive the EUL approval and therefore was subjected to full six-month review by NAFDAC. The Agency was granted access to the dossiers and prior assessment reports of Moderna and AstraZeneca from the WHO website at different times over the past two months.

“The Agency did a thorough assessment of each vaccine and were found to have the quality, safety, and efficacy attributes, with the benefits far outweighing the risks.”

The approval of the vaccines come in the wake of fears a third wave of the COVID-19 Delta variant looms in the country.