Moderna batches have expiry dates extended

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health stated that based on the conclusion of the Advisory Council for the Registration of Circulation of Drugs and Medicinal Ingredients, the Drug Administration of Vietnam announced that more Covid-19 Spikevax vaccine (Covid-19 Moderna) batches in Vietnam have had their expiration dates extended from seven to nine months (as from the date of manufacture) under cold storage between minus 25 and 15 degree Celsius. This extension will be applied for Moderna vaccine batches imported into Vietnam since March 2, 2022.

The Ministry of Health asserted that this extension of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine’s expiry date does not change the quality, safety and effect of the vaccine. Previously, the extension of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine’s best-before date was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 9, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on December 8, 2021, and the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on January 31.

Vietnam’s drug watchdog gave full approval to Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for people age 18 and older, making it the fifth fully approved vaccine for the virus.  

Up to now, through aid from COVAX and other governments, Vietnam had received 14 billion Covid-19 Moderna vaccine doses.

The health ministry has also extended the expiry date of the Pfizer and Cuban Abdala vaccines from six to nine months.