Health Canada will likely approve Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine 'very soon'

Health Canada’s chief medical adviser says her department is on track to approve a second COVID-19 vaccine very soon, The Canadian Press reports.

Dr. Supriya Sharma said that things “look positive” for the Moderna vaccine, however Health Canada still needs some outstanding manufacturing documents before it can make a decision.

Other vaccines are on the table, but likely will take longer to get approved. Those include the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 9.

The US Food and Drug Administration will meet on December 17 to discuss and review Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been under review by Health Canada since October, and Sharma said the company provided final clinical data on Friday.

Sharma says her team reviewed all the documents over the weekend, and they are now waiting for the data on the manufacturing plant. These documents will provide a clearer picture of when a decision on Moderna can be made.

"It does look promising and it does look positive," adds Sharma. While Health Canada approved the Pfizer vaccine only five days after the company provided manufacturing data, it is expected to take longer for Moderna, as Health Canada is not familiar with its manufacturing facilities.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, the Pfizer vaccine has much stricter refrigeration requirements. Meaning that the Moderna vaccine will be prioritized to the territories, indigenous communities, and long term care homes.

It is expected that the vaccine will be widely available to Canadians by 2021.