COVID-19 Vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech Gets Approval From EU Regulator
The EU medical regulator on Monday announced it has approved COVID-19 vaccine, developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech, for use across the European Union.
Brussels, December 21: The EU medical regulator on Monday announced it has given conditional approval to COVID-19 vaccine, developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German company BioNTech, for use across the European Union. The move from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) cleared the decks for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine across the continent, though the European Commission's nod is awaited. No Evidence That New Variant of Coronavirus More Deadly, Says WHO Official.
"Today’s positive news is an important step forward in our fight against this pandemic, which has caused suffering and hardship for so many," Emer Cooke, Executive Director of EMA, said. "We have achieved this milestone thanks to the dedication of scientists, doctors, developers and trial volunteers as well as many experts from all EU Member States," he added. The EU will start coronavirus vaccination on December 27. Scientists Say It Would Take Years for Virus to Evolve Enough to Render COVID-19 Vaccines as Impotent.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the EMA's approval as "a decisive moment in our efforts to deliver safe & effective vaccines to Europeans!" She tweeted: "Now we will act fast. I expect a (an) EU Commission decision by this evening." Britain, Canada and the US have given emergency use authorisation to the vaccine.
Apart from BioNtech-Pfizer, the EU's current vaccine portfolio includes purchase agreements with Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sanofi-GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, and CureVac.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2020 08:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).