WHO panel to issue recommendations on Moderna vaccine next week

GENEVA (Reuters) - An independent panel of vaccine experts has reviewed data from Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine and will make public its recommendations on the vaccine's use next Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

In an advisory to media about next week, the WHO said on Friday night: "The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization will make public its interim recommendations to WHO on the use of Moderna COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) vaccine. The recommendations have been agreed at the SAGE extraordinary meeting held on 21 January (Thursday)."

Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, speaking to a WHO social media event on Wednesday, noted that the SAGE experts had issued recommendations for the use of the Pfizer vaccine in early January. "It is already meeting for another vaccine quite soon," Simao said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Leslie Adler)