Thailand’s Food and Drug administration (FDA) revealed today (Tuesday) that all the necessary documents to seek approval for China’s state-owned Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine have been submitted, with a decision expected soon.
Biogenetech is the Thai biopharmaceutical firm submitting the application for Sinopharm vaccine. It will take no more than 30 days for experts to review the vaccine’s quality, safety and efficacy, said FDA Secretary-General Dr. Paisal Dunkhum.
Two other vaccine brands are also in the process of submitting documents to apply for approval for use in the country, namely India’s Covaxin and Russia’s Sputnik-V.
Currently, Thailand has approved the use of AstraZeneca (locally produced by Siam Bioscience), Sinovac’s CoronaVac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved the use of Sinopharm vaccines for emergency use, joining Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that the WHO’s approval of Sinovac is expected later this week.
