EU authorises AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The European Commission on Friday granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

"Today, the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, the third COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU," the European Commission said in a statement.

The commission said that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be given to adults aged 18 years and older for preventing COVID-19.

This authorisation follows a positive scientific recommendation based on a thorough assessment of the safety, effectiveness, and quality of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is endorsed by the Member States, the commission said.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: "Securing safe vaccines for Europeans is our utmost priority. With the AstraZeneca vaccine now authorized, 400 million additional doses will be available in Europe. I expect the company to deliver these doses as agreed so that Europeans can be vaccinated as soon as possible. We will continue doing all we can to secure more vaccines for Europeans, our neighbors, and our partners worldwide."

Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: "The European Medicines Agency's authorisation today is another step towards delivering on this promise. The Commission continues to work around the clock to secure more vaccines for Europe and our international partners. We are leaving no stone unturned in our fight against this pandemic."

According to EMA, most of the participants in the studies were between 18 and 55 years old. There are not yet enough results in older participants (over 55 years old) to provide a figure for how well the vaccine will work in this group.

( With inputs from ANI )