Moderna, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, announced that Israel’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has given authorization to import the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna in Israel.
“Today’s authorization is a landmark moment in our company’s history and in the global fight against COVID-19,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “This is the third regulatory authorization for the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, and its first outside of North America. I want to thank the Ministry of Health of Israel for their efforts, as their team have worked tirelessly alongside ours to ensure a timely authorization of this vaccine. We hope to continue to see authorizations in additional markets in the coming days, weeks and months.”
The MOH has secured 6 million doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna. Planned deliveries reflect today’s authorization to supply the vaccine in Israel, and first deliveries are expected to begin shortly.
Israel is the third country for which Moderna has received authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine, following the United States on December 18, 2020 and Canada on December 23, 2020. Additional authorizations are currently under review in the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The authorization is given according to Regulation 29 (A)(9): Medical product designated for pharmaceutical treatment of local citizens in case of epidemic or contagious disease or protection from chemical or radioactive substances, according to Regulation 29 of the Pharmacists’ Regulations (Medical preparations) – 1986.
The decision from the MOH is based on a rolling submission of data and is based on the totality of scientific evidence shared by the Company, including a data analysis from the pivotal Phase 3 clinical study announced on November 30.
About Moderna
Moderna is advancing messenger RNA (mRNA) science to create a new class of transformative medicines for patients. mRNA medicines are designed to direct the body’s cells to produce intracellular, membrane or secreted proteins that can have a therapeutic or preventive benefit and have the potential to address a broad spectrum of diseases. The company’s platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, providing Moderna the capability to pursue in parallel a robust pipeline of new development candidates. Moderna is developing therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, independently and with strategic collaborators.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Moderna currently has strategic alliances for development programs with AstraZeneca PLC and Merck & Co., Inc., as well as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, and BARDA. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past six years.
