MFDA Gives Green Light To Sinopharm & Pfizer-BioNTech For Emergency Use In The Maldives

Today, Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has announced their decision to approve the emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccines: Sinopharm & Pfizer- BioNTech.

The Sinopharm vaccine is developed by a Chinese state-owned company of the same name. It is an inactivated vaccine that works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response. According to Sinopharm, phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective whereas it has already been administered to nearly a million people in China under an emergency program.

According to MFDA, Sinopharm vaccine will only be administered to those between the ages of 18 and 60. The Maldives has already received 18,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine and is currently awaiting an additional 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is developed by Pfizer Inc., one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies, and BioNTech, a German biotechnology company. The vaccine works by introducing a molecule to cells, known as messenger RNA (mRNA). This molecule teaches cells to make a protein from the virus that causes COVID-19 The body detects this protein and triggers an immune response. Based on evidence from clinical trials, the vaccine was 95% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 illness in people without evidence of previous infection.

According to MFDA, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be administered to those above the age of 18. At present, Maldives does not have a stock of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to administer – however is reported to receive 5,850 doses through the COVAX facility.

With the approval of Sinopharm & Pfizer- BioNTech, Maldives now has three COVID-19 vaccines in regulation – the third being Covishield that is already in use.