SA regulator registers Pfizer, Sinopharm vaccines

While the authorisation of the two-dose vaccines are based on safety, quality and efficacy data submitted by both drug makers, their use remains subject to the conditions of the government’s Covid-19 vaccination programme, the reporting of ongoing study results and safety updates, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority said in an emailed statement on Monday.

“The registration of these vaccines is a vast stride in vaccine registration as SAHPRA plays its role in the fight against Covid-19,” Chief Executive Officer Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela said.

The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine should be taken three weeks after the first, it recommended. MC Pharma’s shots should be administered two to four weeks apart, it said.