Japan to approve 1st domestically-made COVID vaccine

Japan is set to approve the first domestically developed coronavirus vaccine after a health ministry panel of experts on Monday endorsed Daiichi Sankyo Co.'s plan to manufacture and sell the drug.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is expected to formally approve the messenger RNA vaccine “Daichirona” soon. The panel, meanwhile, decided to continue the assessment of an application from another Japanese drug maker, Shionogi & Co.

The vaccines developed by both companies are tailored for strains that spread during the initial stages of the pandemic.

In January, Daiichi Sankyo applied with...