Hopes continue to rise as the COVID-19 vaccine beat goes on and Operation Warp Speed (OWS) lives up to its name, with Moderna Inc. netting another U.S. Department of Defense contract worth about $1.97 billion for another 100 million doses – an order that brings to about $6 billion the company’s government contracts for the product, which was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) earlier this month.

HONG KONG and BEIJING – China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. delayed releasing trial data from its Coronavac COVID-19 vaccine while the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) accepted an NDA from China National Biotec Group (CNBG) for its own vaccine, BBIBP-CorV.

CAJICA, Colombia – The 33 countries across Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean are taking vastly different approaches to secure, acquire and distribute COVID-19 vaccines. A handful of the region’s wealthier countries have signed deals with vaccine suppliers or plan to manufacture them, but it is unclear how others will source or distribute vaccines to protect roughly 657 million people. Many are counting on the COVAX initiative.

LONDON – The EMA has issued a positive opinion on Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine, BNT-162b2, becoming the first regulator to recommend a full marketing authorization, rather than approval for emergency use. The vaccine, now brand named Comirnaty, still has to go through the formality of being approved by EU member state governments, but the EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, has said she expects roll out to start on Dec. 27.

DUBLIN – Bowing to public and political pressure, the EMA has brought forward its review of BNT-162b2, the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer Inc. and Biontech SE, to Dec. 21, more than a week ahead of its originally scheduled date of Dec. 29.

A day after the FDA granted emergency authorization for the use of the Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) gave a thumb’s up for the vaccine, as did the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee voted 17-4 with one abstention Dec. 10 to recommend an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer Inc./Biontech SE mRNA vaccine BNT-162b2 to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 16 and older.