EU to speed up approval of adapted vaccines against COVID-19 variants

It will make provisions in the relevant EU legislation to allow companies to focus on gathering the necessary evidence in time and enable the authorisation of adapted vaccines with a smaller set of additional data submitted to the European Medicines Agency, the EC said late on Wednesday.

The HERA Incubator is to strengthen and accelerate the EU response to variants. We are enabling EMA to fast-track regulatory approval of updated vaccines to tackle new variants

, said President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen

"Faster approval means more vaccines in circulation and more Europeans protected from the virus," she added.

“We need to be prepared to adapt vaccines as quickly as possible to respond to new and potentially vaccine-resistant variants. Today we propose fast and flexible solutions to fast-track approvals, without compromising on safety and efficacy," commented Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides.

Adaptations to active substances of an authorised COVID-19 vaccine may be required to ensure the vaccine's effectiveness against mutations or variants of a virus. Building on the approach for adaptations of human influenza – flu – vaccines, the changes to the Variation Regulation specify which provisions apply to adaptations of the active substance of authorised COVID-19 vaccines.

These changes will ensure the streamlined handling of any variation to an authorised vaccine and extend the coverage of the new provisions to all coronaviruses.

The amendment provides a regulatory framework for the handling of changes to the marketing authorisation after the initial marketing authorisation.

As for any delegated regulation, the measure will now go to the European Parliament and Council for scrutiny before entering into force.

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