Peru says Sinopharm, Pfizer seek approval for their COVID-19 vaccines

China's Sinopharm Group and Pfizer Inc have requested approval for use of their COVID-19 vaccines in Peru as the Andean country grapples with a second wave of the coronavirus, a health official said on Tuesday.

Carmen Ponce, general director of state drug regulator Digemid, said both drugmakers requested the registration last week after presenting "preliminary information" from their Phase III COVID-19 vaccine trials. Ponce added that authorization requests from other vaccine makers, such as AstraZeneca Plc and Russia's Gamaleya, are expected in the next few days.

Coronavirus infections in Peru have climbed since the start of the year, forcing the government to tighten some restrictions including extending a nighttime curfew and restricting the transit of people on Sundays. The Peruvian government recently announced agreements with Sinopharm to secure 38 million doses of its vaccine and with AstraZeneca for 14 million doses.

The arrival of a first batch of Sinopharm vaccine is expected by the end of January or early February, the government said. There is no delivery date yet for the other vaccines. Peru reported 3,893 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking its total to 1,068,802 with 38,931 coronavirus-related deaths.

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