Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency

The Health Ministry has determined that 70 percent of cosmetic products, including mosquito repellent and disinfectants, are unsafe and against the legislation.

Initial data suggest that locally developed vaccine Turkovac is very effective against COVID-19, an expert has said, while Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has voiced concern over the slow pace in the jab drive, particularly in the second shot of the vaccine.

The emergency authorization application for the domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Turkovac, has been submitted to the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK), Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced.

As Turkey continues its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have intensified their efforts to introduce its locally produced vaccine.
The interim results of the Phase 3 trials of Turkovac, being carried out with the participation of thousands of volunteers across Turkey, will be announced very soon, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Turkey's more than 1 million health care service workers have begun to make appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations as the country is finalizing tests on the injections brought from China.

An online system to arrange vaccinations is already up and running but for the time being only health care staff are able to make appointments for the coronavirus jab.

Turkey's health minister announced early on Jan. 6 that three inactive COVID-19 vaccine candidates are ready for human trials. 

Fahrettin Koca said 17 different COVID-19 vaccine candidates are currently being developed in Turkey, and among them, "three of our candidate vaccines have applied to the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency for starting testing on humans."

Turkey will vaccinate around 60 million people against COVID-19 in an injection drive that is set to begin at the end of December.

Pregnant women, citizens under the age of 18, and those who have recovered from the virus within the past six months will be exempted from the vaccinations.

Turkey will be among the first countries in the world to begin vaccinating people for the coronavirus, with the first shipment of vaccines it has purchased to arrive in Ankara sometime after Dec. 11, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Dec. 2.