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