By Sangmi Cha
SEOUL (Reuters) – A panel of South Korean advisers has called for caution in using AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65, citing a lack of data, the Ministry of Food and Drugs said.
A decision to restrict the use of the vaccine, which is on track to be first approved by South Korea, could complicate a vaccination campaign that gives priority to medical staff and the elderly.
The national pharmaceutical panel has approved the vaccine for people over the age of 18, but advised caution when using it for people over 65, said the director general of a national safety evaluation body.
“The panel recommended offering the drug to people over the age of 18, as Europe recommended, but advised caution in deciding to inoculate people over 65, as sufficient data has not yet been collected,” the report said. officer, Lee Dong-hee.
The advice comes after news that several European countries are planning or considering restricting the vaccine to younger people, as there is insufficient data on efficacy in older people.
South Korea expects to receive the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine as early as this month, as part of a reciprocal purchase agreement for 20 million doses.
AstraZeneca and the head of clinical trials for the vaccine have said it elicits a good immune response in older people.
AstraZeneca sought emergency use approval for South Korea on January 4, which aims to grant it within 40 days.
The latest review panel for the vaccine would also consider foreign regulatory decisions, Lee, the director general of the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, told a newsletter.
South Korea wants to vaccinate about 10 million high-risk people by July and aims for immunity to herds by November, the government said.
It is expected to receive 117,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc this month through the global COVAX vaccination schedule, along with nearly 2.6 million doses of the AstraZeneca injections in the first half of 2021.
(Interactive graphical tracking of global coronavirus spread: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps)
(Reported by Sangmi Cha; edited by Miyoung Kim and Clarence Fernandez)