Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is looking to procure the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), after a discussion with a Moderna representative today.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was developed in cooperation with the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said that the ministry is ready to support Moderna’s registration with Thai FDA, after the company submitted the necessary documents, which the FDA confirms are complete. The Moderna vaccine could be approved within this month.

Moderna, however, said that the vaccine must be procured through governments, or agencies under government regulation only, meaning they cannot be purchased by the private sector directly.

Anutin said the ministry will assign the GPO to import the vaccines for private companies which confirm the amount they wish to order. He reiterated that the GPO cannot just stock up on vaccines and wait for them to be purchased.

Private companies can already order other vaccines, which have already been registered with FDA, namely AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson. There are 3 brands, Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V, waiting FDA approval.