TOKYO (Reuters) – Takeda Pharmaceutical said it had asked regulators to approve use of Moderna\u2019s COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, which would add a third option to Japan\u2019s vaccination programme.<\/p>\n
Japan began inoculations last month using Pfizer\u2019s vaccine, which was the first to be approved for domestic use but is imported from European factories and is in short supply.<\/p>\n
Takeda, which is handling the Japanese approval process and imports of about 50 million Moderna doses, had earlier said approval could be given in May.<\/p>\n
\u201cTakeda commits to delivering Moderna\u2019s COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Japan as soon as possible,\u201d Masayuki Imagawa, the head of its Japan vaccines business unit, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
British drugmaker AstraZeneca applied for Japanese approval of its COVID-19 vaccine early last month, with a decision still pending.<\/p>\n
Health Minister Norihisa Tamura told reporters that Japan would thoroughly test both the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce their safety is confirmed, we\u2019ll go into the approval process,\u201d he said, adding that the Moderna vaccine was essential for ensuring all Japanese are vaccinated.<\/p>\n
Takeda is also handling the approval process and domestic production of about 250 million doses of Novavax\u2019s vaccine, which entered clinical trials in Japan last month.<\/p>\n
Takeda plans to start distributing the Moderna vaccine in the first half of this year, with the Novavax shot expected in late 2021.<\/p>\n
Japan has secured rights to at least 564 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from several overseas makers, the largest volume in Asia and more than enough for its population of 126 million.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged to have enough doses by June, before the July 23 start of the Olympics in Tokyo, which was postponed from last year because of COVID-19.<\/p>\n