Sri Lanka has approved the emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, says Prof. Channa Jayasumana, the State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals.
Approval for this mRNA-based COVID-19 jab was granted by National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
Germany-based biotechnology BioNTech, the developer of the vaccine, had collaborated with the American multinational pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer for support with clinical trials, logistics, and manufacturing of the vaccine.
According to the World Health Organization, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 has an efficacy of 95% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle stated that Sri Lanka plans to import 5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic situation in India aggravated by the current wave, the Serum Institute is now unable to provide Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine supplies to other countries, State Minister Fernandopulle said.
As a result, Sri Lanka is faced with the challenge of procuring the Covishield vaccines, she pointed out further.
