Statement on Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
6 September 2021: Medicines Australia welcomes the TGA provisional approval for the COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax (Moderna) for Australia. The Moderna vaccine is expected to arrive in Australia this month.
The TGA announced provisional approval for the Moderna vaccine in August and on Saturday, also provided provisional approval to include Australians between the ages of 12-17 years old. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines will both be made available to adolescents and be an important tool for Australia’s social and economic recovery.
“The more people in Australia that get vaccinated, the more chance there is of eradicating the national COVID-19 pandemic,” said Elizabeth de Somer, CEO of Medicines Australia.
“When you get vaccinated you are not just protecting yourself. You are also reducing the risk of passing on COVID-19 to your family, friends and community. I am grateful to have received both of my vaccine shots and to do my bit to fight against COVID-19.”
The Moderna vaccine, similar to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, uses mRNA (messenger RNA) technology, which has experienced decades of research efforts. This technology acts as a messenger by providing genetic instructions to the body about how to protect against the virus. It shows the body’s cells what a virus may look like so the immune system has time to build powerful antibodies.
The COVID-19 vaccines have been developed without compromising safety or efficacy, thanks to the extraordinary collaboration between industry, Government, and scientific community.
In addition to the years of research behind vaccine technology, speed has been achieved due to a large injection of funding from pharmaceutical companies as well as running development and implementation phases side-by-side, instead of one after the other.
Medicines Australia will continue to work closely with all our partners across healthcare to ensure all Australians have access to COVID-19 vaccines.
For further information, visit the Department of Health website for accurate, evidence-based answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines.
