QCOSTARICA – The Ministry of Health authorized the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine on Friday, based on the conditional marketing authorization of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
This authorization is given after the evaluation of the Directorate for the Regulation of Health Products, which received on February 24, the request for authorization of emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine together with the requirements that demonstrate the quality, safety and efficacy of this vaccine.
Once the application and the documents provided have been reviewed (such as a certified letter of the conditional marketing authorization issued by the EMA, an affidavit confirming that the product offered corresponds in all respects to the product authorized by EMA, pharmacological information and labeling, as well as certificates of good manufacturing practices) it is concluded that they are in compliance and the authorization of the vaccine is notified.
There is still no date for the arrival of the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Costa Rica, but it is expected that the first deliveries may be as early as May.
Costa Rica has currently received doses of the Pfizer vaccine, arriving in 7 batches, the last on February 19.
In addition to continued shipments by Pfizer, and the expected from AstraZeneaca, the Ministry of Health expects to receive from now to June between 200 thousand and 400 thousand doses of vaccines via the COVAX mechanism.
In total, the country has purchased vaccines to vaccinated more than 3 million people by the end of the year.
