EU Medicines Agency Will Approve First Vaccine on 23 December

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is set to approve its first COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 23, a German government source told Reuters on Tuesday, putting EU countries on track to start to catch up with the United States and Britain, where immunisation campaigns are under way.

“Yes, the EMA will be done on December 23,” the source said, referring to the watchdog’s review of a vaccine developed by U.S. company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn told a news conference that he hoped European Union approval for the vaccine would be in place before Christmas, clearing a path for inoculations before the end of the year.

“It is good news that the approval can be granted on December 23,” Jens Spahn said at a news conference when asked about the reported date.

The goal was still to have a regular approval, not an emergency approval.

“It will be the first regular approval of a (COVID-19) vaccine in the world,” Spahn added.

An EMA official said they were discussing possible dates before Christmas for a decision on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.https://uk.reuters.com