EU Could Approve BioNTech, Moderna Vaccines in December
- European and U.S. regulators in daily contact to synchronize
- Bloc has up to 300 million doses order from Pfizer, BioNTech
Outside the European Medicine Agency headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/BloombergBioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. could receive conditional European Union marketing authorization for their Covid-19 vaccines in the second half of next month, according to the head of the EU’s executive arm, putting the bloc on track to start distributing the shots at the same time as the U.S.
The European Medicines Agency is in daily contact with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the evaluation of the vaccines in order to “synchronize” assessment, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The EMA has said conditional approval could come as early as the second half of December, von der Leyen told reporters after EU leaders discussed the Covid-19 pandemic via video conference on Thursday.