The European Commission on Friday granted conditional approval to the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people aged 18 and older.
Why it matters: This is the third vaccine to receive approval from the committee just hours after the Emergency Medicines Agency recommended approval.
- EMA said the vaccine was found to be about 60% effective in its clinical trials, but added that there isn’t enough data to show results for people over 55.
- The conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission means that all 27 EU members can use the shot, but AstraZeneca must submit more data “to confirm that the benefits still outweigh the risks”.
The big picture: European leaders expect initial deliveries to be lower than expected and are pressuring AstraZeneca to offer doses produced in the UK, writes Axios’s Dave Lawler.
- The EU has only vaccinated 2% of its population.
- EMA’s approval comes after the German health regulator announced that AstraZeneca’s vaccine should not be given to people over 65.
What they say: “Securing safe vaccines for Europeans is our highest priority. With the AstraZeneca vaccine approved, 400 million additional doses will be available in Europe,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.