FDA says it hasn’t yet OK’ed Moderna Covid vaccine despite Trump tweet saying it’s been approved

The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t yet cleared Moderna‘s coronavirus vaccine, opposite to a tweet from President Donald Trump on Friday that mentioned the company had “overwhelmingly approved” it and would instantly distribute it.

The FDA did not touch upon Trump’s tweet, pointing CNBC as a substitute to a Thursday night time assertion from FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn that mentioned the company would “rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization” for Moderna’s vaccine.

“The agency has also notified the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed, so they can execute their plans for timely vaccine distribution,” Hahn mentioned in a joint assertion with Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

The FDA’s assertion on Thursday “is current,” FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum instructed CNBC.

It’s doable Trump was referring to a vote Thursday from the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which voted 20-Zero with one member abstaining to endorse the approval of Moderna’s vaccine for emergency use. The advisory committee performs a key function in approving flu and different vaccines within the U.S., verifying the photographs are secure for public use. While the FDA does not need to observe the advisory committee’s advice, it typically does.

The FDA is predicted to authorize Moderna’s vaccine as early as Friday. The U.S. plans to ship just below 6 million doses subsequent week, pending the company’s OK, Gen. Gustave Perna, who oversees logistics for the Operation Warp Speed vaccine venture, instructed reporters Monday.