MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – An advisory committee for Mexican health regulator Cofepris will review Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine application on Friday, a health official said, as the country registered another 11,897 coronavirus cases and 671 more deaths.
Cofepris’ New Molecules Committee will meet at noo for the review, which deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell described as similar to the meeting of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday.
The U.S. advisory committee voted overwhelmingly to endorse emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine, paving the way for the FDA’s authorization.
“The moment of launching the vaccination in Mexico is coming closer,” Lopez-Gatell told his nightly news conference on Thursday, without specifying when Cofepris could make a final determination.
Pfizer submitted details about its vaccine to Cofepris last month. Mexico’s government has already inked an agreement with Pfizer to acquire 34.4 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, with the first batch expected to arrive this month.
Mexico has recorded 1,217,126 coronavirus cases and 112,326 deaths. Officials say the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Noe Torres; Editing by Sam Holmes and Kim Coghill)
