| This file photo taken on Nov. 17, 2020, shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine labels attached and syringes, with the logo of U.S. biotech company Novavax. AFP-Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
The Korean drug regulator is set to approve the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Novavax this month, making it the fifth vaccine to be used in the country.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is currently reviewing Novavax's Nuvaxovid, is expected to give the green light by the end of January.
"The drug ministry is close to approving the vaccine. Once approved, the priority recipients of the vaccine will be those who are yet to be vaccinated," Hong Jeong-ik, a senior official at the KDCA, said during a media briefing.
Local drugmaker SK Bioscience, with which Novavax has signed a manufacturing contract, applied on Nov. 15 for product approval.
The Novavax vaccine will become the fifth COVID-19 vaccine product approved by the Korean authorities, after AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The government has so far secured 40 million doses of Novavax, enough to inoculate 20 million people.
Unlike mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna which contain a genetic code that the body creates an immune response to, Nuvaxovid uses a more traditional vaccine approach, containing purified pieces of the target virus.
The vaccine spurs an immune response in the recipient by injecting a spike protein from the coronavirus. The purified protein antigens in the vaccine cannot replicate or cause the COVID-19 infection. The two-dose vaccine should be administered with a three-week interval.
If approved, the KDCA plans to use the initial batches of Novavax on people aged over 18 who have yet to receive a vaccine, rather than using them as booster shots.
Regarding questions as to whether this means giving unvaccinated groups a choice between an mRNA vaccine and Novavax's, Hong said, "It may seem like giving them a choice."
Since the COVID-19 vaccination program began here in February 2021, the government has maintained its stance that individuals will not be able to choose the type of vaccine they receive.
Hong added, "But the current situation is different from the beginning stages of the vaccine program. At that time, the government had to decide which vaccine an individual would receive depending on the supply situation."