Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

EU approves BioNTech-Pfizer COVID vaccine

EU approves BioNTech-Pfizer COVID vaccine

Approvals from regulators and the European Commission will let countries begin coronavirus vaccinations before the end of the year. EU nations are currently grappling with a worsening COVID second wave.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Commission approved the BioNTech-Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Monday. It means the mass vaccination of some 450 million people across the EU is one step closer.

The EMA's positive assessment of the vaccine was widely expected. EU countries are currently grappling with a fierce second wave of the virus.

The Amsterdam-based drug regulator was under pressure from European countries, including Germany, to speed up its decision, which was originally scheduled for December 29.

"We granted conditional market authorization to the vaccine produced by BioNTech and Pfizer," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, just hours after the EMA recommendation to approve the vaccine. "I have always said during this pandemic that we are in this together."


Approval marks a 'historic scientific achievement'


The EMA recommendation applies to those 16 years of age and older, EMA head Emer Cooke said.

"It is a significant step forward in our fight against this pandemic, which is causing suffering and hardship for so many people, not just in Europe but all over the world," she said. "This is really a historic scientific achievement. Within less than a year, a vaccine will have been developed and authorized against a new disease."

Aside from age, limitations also apply to pregnant women. As only limited data is available for that group, it should be assessed on a case-by-case basis whether it would be safe to give a jab, said Harald Enzmann, Chair of EMA Human Medicines Committee.

"Today is a particularly personal and emotional day for us at BioNTech," said Ugur Sahin, the company's chief executive and co-founder. "Being in the heart of the EU, we are thrilled to be one step closer to potentially delivering the first vaccine in Europe to help combat this devastating pandemic."

What are the next steps?


German Health Minister Jens Spahn called the approval "a milestone in fighting the pandemic."

He said on Twitter that by the end of this year, a total of more than 1.3 million vaccine doses should be delivered to Germany's 16 states. The first to be vaccinated in a campaign starting December 27 will be those over 80 years of age, nursing home staff and residents, as well as health care workers at very high risk of infection.

Preparations for the vaccine rollout come as the identification of a highly infectious new strain of the coronavirus in Britain caused chaos across the region, with countries shutting off travel ties with the UK and disrupting trade ahead of the Christmas holiday.

EMA officials told a news briefing that it was highly likely the vaccine would work against the new variant of the coronavirus.

"It is very likely that the vaccine will retain protection also against this new variant," said Marco Cavaleri, Head of Biological Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy for EMA.

While acknowledging that the agency did not yet have evidence with respect to the new strain, the vaccine generated antibodies that could neutralize different variants with mutations.

"For the time being, we are not too worried," he said.

The pharmaceutical companies will also need to submit follow-up data on their vaccine for the next year.

EMA said it had worked around the clock but needed to make sure the vaccine was safe and effective before giving its approval.

Which countries have approved the vaccine already?


Criticism of the EMA had grown after both UK and US regulators gave the vaccine the green light and began their vaccination drives in the past weeks. The US has now approved a second vaccine, manufactured by pharma firm Moderna.

The EMA has said it would speed up its authorization decision on Moderna's vaccine to January 6, six days sooner than planned.

What is the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine?


The vaccine is manufactured jointly by German firm BioNTech and American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer,

It has proven to be 95% effective against COVID-19 in global trials. It involves two doses that are injected three weeks apart.

Transporting can pose logistical challenges, as it must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit), a temperature much lower than standard freezers and which forced the company to develop special containers for transport.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×