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NAFDAC alerts Nigerians to original AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine labels

*The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has urged Nigerian consumers to ensure that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine in being administered on them has the genuine label

*AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine makers clarify that no pork ingredient in the vaccine brand amid concerns in Indonesia

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In a way to confirm the authenticity of the vaccine being administered on them for immunisation against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised Nigerians to ensure the AstraZeneca Vaccine in being applied has the genuine label.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of NAFDAC, issued this caution in a statement Sunday, March 21, 2021.

Adeyeye, stated that the that the original Astrazeneca-Oxford University (AZOU) Vaccine has been contracted to India’s world largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India (SIIPL), to produce in large quantities.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of NAFDAC

The NAFDAC Director-General said: “AZOU gave the licence of its vaccine to Serum Institute of India PVT Limited (SIIPL) to manufacture this vaccine on a commercial scale.

“SIIPL is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, and the company got the licence by signing the manufacturing agreement.

“SIIPL gave the vaccine the trade name COVISHIELD, it is the result of cooperation and a technology transfer from AstraZeneca-University of Oxford to SIIPL.

She noted that “SIIPL is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally.

“More than 1.5 billion doses, which include Polio vaccine, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella.”

The vaccines manufactured by SIIPL were accredited by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and were being used in about 170 countries across the globe, said she.

Adeyeye further stated that both COVISHIELD manufactured by SIIPL and COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca, manufactured by AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine are the same vaccine.

According to Adeyeye, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Coronavirus vaccines (Recombinant), COVISHIELD, was granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) by the World Health Organisation on February 15, and that it was one of the listed vaccines under the COVAX Facility.

In a related development, ConsumerConnect reports AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine makers have said the vaccine brand contains no pork ingredient, following concerns in Indonesia.

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