US moves closer to approving second coronavirus vaccine

Pharmaceutical firm Moderna has co-developed the coronavirus vaccine injection with the National Institutes of Health (Hans Pennink/AP)

The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said his agency will move to quickly authorise a second Covid-19 vaccine for the US to fight the pandemic, hours after the shot won the key endorsement of a government advisory panel.

FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement that regulators have communicated their plans to pharmaceutical company Moderna, which co-developed the vaccine with the National Institutes of Health.