HCMC – The Ministry of Health on March 3 announced that the shelf life of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine imported to Vietnam from March 2 had been extended from seven to nine months.
The extension is applicable to only vaccine batches stored at minus 25 degrees Celsius to minus 15 degrees Celsius, the local media reported.
The decision on the extension was made based on the conclusions of the Advisory Council for the Registration of Circulation of Drugs and Medicinal Ingredients under the Ministry of Health.
The ministry affirmed that the expiration extension would cause no changes to the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
The extended expiry date is effective for all currently available batches worldwide. The World Health Organization approved the Moderna vaccine’s shelf-life extension on February 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on January 31 and the European Medicines Agency on December 8, 2021.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health approved the use of the Moderna vaccine in Vietnam on June 28, 2021, and Vietnam received more than 14 million Moderna doses as of February 25.
This is the third Covid vaccine to have its shelf life extended by the ministry, following Cuba’s Abdala and Pfizer.
