Europe May Approve Covid Vaccine by Christmas as Pressure Builds
- Germany is optimistic agency will be able to act by Dec. 23
- Immunizations are already underway in Britain and U.S.
A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
Photographer: Victoria Jones/PA Wire/Bloomberg
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Pressure is building in Europe for quick approval of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine, with German authorities saying they’re optimistic that sign-off can be pushed forward by a week amid a rising death toll on the continent.
Germany is “optimistic” that the European Medicines Agency will be able to make a decision by Dec. 23, Health Minister Jens Spahn said in Berlin on Tuesday. The EMA had previously said an advisory board would convene by Dec. 29 to make a recommendation on the application; approval would come within days after that.