A health ministry panel has endorsed a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo, with officials saying the ministry will ¡°immediately¡± proceed to approve the nation¡¯s first domestic coronavirus vaccine.
But the shot ¡ª a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine like those marketed by Pfizer and Moderna ¡ª is based on the original strain of the coronavirus, making it unlikely that it will be used in Japan or elsewhere.
In a clinical trial involving people age 18 or over, the vaccine ¡ª known by its brand name Daichirona ¡ª was shown to produce a similar level of neutralizing antibodies against the original strain of the virus as those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, the ministry said.
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