The World Health Organization (WHO) today approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, marking another significant step in the global fight against the pandemic. Moderna’s vaccine is now the fifth to receive emergency use listing (EUL) from WHO, joining Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), and Sinopharm vaccines.

The approval means that the Moderna vaccine can now be distributed through the COVAX initiative, a global effort led by WHO, Gavi, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to ensure equitable access to vaccines, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. This decision comes as the global demand for COVID-19 vaccines continues to outpace supply, particularly in regions struggling to contain surges in cases.

Moderna’s vaccine, known as mRNA-1273, is based on messenger RNA technology and has shown an efficacy rate of approximately 94.1% in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection in clinical trials. The two-dose vaccine is administered 28 days apart and has been authorized for use in individuals aged 18 and older. Moderna has pledged to supply up to 500 million doses for the COVAX program.

Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, welcomed the news, stating that “the inclusion of another highly effective vaccine in the global portfolio is a vital development for protecting lives and controlling the pandemic.”

In addition to its use in the COVAX program, the Moderna vaccine has been approved for emergency use in multiple countries, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. WHO’s emergency use listing will likely facilitate faster regulatory approvals in other countries that have not yet authorized the vaccine.

As the pandemic continues to rage across various parts of the world, especially in regions like South Asia and Latin America, the WHO emphasized the need for more vaccines to be made available. “We need every possible tool to combat this virus, and vaccines are the most powerful of them all,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

The Moderna vaccine’s approval comes at a crucial time as global efforts to increase vaccination rates intensify. With the ongoing distribution challenges and the rise of new variants, health experts are urging countries to accelerate their inoculation campaigns and prioritize vulnerable populations.

WHO’s approval of the Moderna vaccine for emergency use is expected to bolster the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, providing another weapon in the battle to end the pandemic.