Japan’s Ministry of Health has announced that it will buy 1. 4 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine produced by Daiichi Sankyo after the company obtains official permission to manufacture and sell it.
The ministry said on Friday it had agreed to the purchase with the Japanese pharmaceutical giant. The health government plans to deliver the vaccine to municipalities, as it will be the first vaccine made in Japan and available for practical use.
Daiichi Sankyo applied in September for approval of the vaccine against the Omicron subvariant of the coronavirus XBB. 1. 5.
The ministry is expected to give its approval after deliberations through a qualified panel this month. It plans to begin delivering the vaccine to municipalities in early December.
Japan uses vaccines developed through foreign corporations such as Pfizer and Moderna. Daiichi Sankyo’s previous vaccine, targeting the traditional type of coronavirus strain, was not used for inoculation despite being approved in August.