The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is set to issue a positive verdict on the first Covid-19 vaccine on December 23rd, a German government source has said, putting EU countries on track to catch up with the United States and Britain, where immunisation campaigns are underway.
“Yes, the EMA will be done on December 23rd,” the source said, referring to the watchdog's review of Pfizer BioNTech's vaccine.
German health minister Jens Spahn also told a news conference that he hoped EU approval for the vaccine would be in place before Christmas, clearing a path for innoculations before the end of the year.
EMA said in early December it planned to issue its view on the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine by December 29th, and on another inoculation developed by Moderna by January 12th.
The vaccine is already being rolled out in countries including the United States, UK and Canada, following positive verdicts by regulators there.
A spokeswoman for EMA reiterated that the watchdog would rule on the compound by December 29th at the latest under the ongoing rolling review of a request for conditional marketing approval.
BioNTech was not immediately available to comment.
Vaccine taskforce
The development comes as the Cabinet will sign off on a plan to deliver more than €100 million worth of vaccines across the country.
According to The Irish Times, the State will roll out 14 million doses of at least five different vaccines, with the details contained in a new report prepared by a high-level taskforce chaired by Prof Brian MacCraith.
Roll-out of the vaccine in the Republic will begin following approval from the EMA.
The EMA's mandate is to issue recommendations on new medical treatments. The European Commission has the final say on approval and typically follows EMA's advice.
German newspaper Bild earlier reported that a positive EMA verdict was slated for December 23rd, citing government and European Commission sources. Bild added that December 26th was seen a possible launch day for vaccinations in Germany.
