Japan could approve 2nd COVID-19 vaccine as early as May

The Japanese health minister said Sunday his ministry could approve a second COVID-19 vaccine as early as May, as the government sees inoculation as crucial to curbing infections."There is the possibility of giving pharmaceutical approval as early as May or June," Norihisa Tamura, minister of health, labor and welfare, said on a TV program.U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.'s vaccine was the first to be approved for use in Japan in February. Britain's AstraZeneca Plc filed an application for its coronavirus vaccine in early February and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. also applied for approval…READ FULL ARTICLE