The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday approved the use of the Pfizer-Biotech COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.
Director general of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who disclosed this during a virtual meeting, said the vaccine was for emergency use authorization.
According to her, a review of the vaccine is possible pending information gathering from usage.
“We have approved Pfizer Biotech vaccine for possible use in the country. Our COVID-19 vaccine team must carefully review it to make sure that the science behind it is well understood, and also in accordance with our regulations,” she said.
Adeyeye said the vaccine was approved based on different mechanisms known to the agency while noting that the approval was not a full one but within the period of getting people vaccinated and gathering data about the adverse effect following immunisation.
She stated that data gathering on the vaccine was not limited to NAFDAC, adding that the agency belonged to an organisation called the International Coalition of Medicine Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA).
“We belong to ICMRA, which is a global gathering of regulatory agencies across the country, where we share our experiences like that of Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine,” she said.
When questioned about the country’s storage capacity, she said the country had what it takes to store the vaccine effectively.
“We have the capability because the freezer temperature is now -30 degrees unlike when it was -80 to -60 degrees. So, the storage is not an issue in Nigeria,” Adeyeye said.
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