HealthHub records to be adjusted to reflect ‘Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty’ COVID-19 vaccine category name
A healthcare worker in Singapore holds up a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Tanjong Pagar Community Centre on Jan 27, 2021. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (Jun 23) said it would be adjusting the HealthHub records of some COVID-19 vaccine recipients to reflect an update on the category name for an upcoming batch of vaccine supplies.
“The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine currently used in our national vaccination programme is manufactured at various sites across Europe and labelled according to the regulatory approval in various markets,” said MOH.
“As we accelerate our vaccine supplies, we will be receiving a batch of vaccines called Comirnaty. These vaccines are the same as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that we have been using in our national vaccination programme, with the same research name BNT162b2.”
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These vaccines are manufactured according to the same processes and procedures, and meet the same finished product specifications as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
MOH added that the vaccines are similarly manufactured in Europe and shipped directly to Singapore.
“The only difference is in their label,” said MOH.
The Health Ministry added that it will be adjusting the HealthHub records of individuals who have received or will be receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech or Comirnaty vaccine to “administratively reflect” the vaccine received under a category called “Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty”.
Pfizer announced in December last year that its Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be marketed in the European Union under the brand name Comirnaty.
The brand name represents a combination of the terms COVID-19, mRNA, community, and immunity, to highlight the first authorisation of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, the company said in a statement.
Comirnaty received conditional marketing authorisation from the European Commission on Dec 22 for those aged 16 years and older.
It was also the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive regulatory approval in Australia for individuals aged 16 and above.
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