Jan 6, 2021 - Health

EU regulator approves Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Oriana González

picture of a coronavirus vaccine syringe in front of a moderna sign — Photo: John Beckmann/BSR Agency/Getty Images

The European Medicines Agency on Wednesday recommended Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for authorization in the European Union's 27 member states.

Why it matters: This is the second vaccine to be granted approval by the regulator. The European Commission — which has purchased 160 million doses of the Moderna vaccine — is likely to issue final approval this week.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that they "are working at full speed to approve it & make it available in the EU."
The commission approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December.

The big picture: The EU has been criticized for its slow rollout of the vaccine as cases continue to rise and countries enter a third wave of lockdowns.

The EU officially began vaccinating with Pfizer-BioNTech shots on Dec. 27, but each country's distribution has been different.
According to CNBC, Germany vaccinated about 240,000 people in the first week of EU approval, while France inoculated 516 people and the Netherlands had not even started vaccinating.
The approval of the Moderna vaccine should further help the EU and its 446 million inhabitants resolve some supply issues.

What they're saying: "EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has thoroughly assessed the data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine and recommended by consensus a formal conditional marketing authorisation be granted by the European Commission," EMA said in its statement.

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EU regulator approves Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

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