PUTRAJAYA: The Drug Control Authority (DCA) has given its conditional approval for the use of the CoronaVac vaccine for those aged 12 and above.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said the decision was made during the authority's 364th conference today, whereby the CoronaVac vaccine, which is manufactured by Sinovac Life Sciences Co. Ltd. of China and Malaysia's Pharmaniaga Lifesciences Sdn Bhd, would be eventually used for teenagers in this age group.
This is the second Covid-19 vaccine approved for teenagers after the Cominarty vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech was given the go-ahead in June.
However, Dr Noor Hisham said the use of the CoronaVac vaccine among teenagers should be prioritised for those without commorbidity, allergy issues and those who cannot receive the Cominarty vaccine.
He said studies on the usage of the CoronaVac vaccine among teenagers with commorbidities will continue once there is sufficient data.
"The Health Ministry would like to make it clear that this conditional registration approval requires information on the vaccine's quality, safety and effectiveness to be monitored and ascertained from time to time, based on the latest data.
"This is to ensure that the benefit-over-risk comparison on this vaccine remains positive.
"The Health Ministry is always committed in improving access for Covid-19 vaccines in Malaysia, by ensuring there is detailed assessment in terms of quality, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and Drug Control Authority (DCA)," he said.