EU Medicines Agency Chief Hopes 1st COVID-19 Vaccines To Be Delivered To EU Within Weeks

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2020) The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reviewing the applications of German BioNTech biopharmaceutical company and its US partner Pfizer as well as Moderna company to register their vaccines against coronavirus in the European Union and expects the first vaccines to be delivered to the European Union within weeks, EMA executive director, Emer Cooke said on Wednesday.

"Yesterday, we came a step closer to the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccines. Two developers - Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna - have submitted marketing authorizations applications to EMA ... Over the past month, the EMA has already started to evaluate data ... EMA's job now is to asses the additional data that was submitted yesterday ... and depending on whether they are sufficiently robust and complete, an EMA opinion on the marketing authorization in the EU could be issued within weeks," Cooke said at a vidoconference with EU health ministers.

According to Cooke, the EMA scientific committee hopes to complete the assessment of the vaccine at an emergency meeting slated to take place no later than December 29. As for Moderna's vaccine, the final assessment is scheduled for January. She noted that this schedule may change depending on circumstances.

On Tuesday, Pfizer and BioNTech submitted a formal application to register their vaccine against coronavirus in the European Union.

The European Commission, on its part, said that after receiving a positive recommendation from the drug regulator, the Commission will make a decision on the authorization of the vaccine on the European market within a few days after a consultation with permanent representatives of the member states.

In November, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their vaccine had 95 percent efficacy, according to the final trial analysis. Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom authorized this vaccine and the government said it will be available already next week.